16 Reasons Why Your Business Should Upgrade To Windows 10 in 2016

As we enter the New Year and prepare for a bracing 12 months of activity in the IT department, it’s useful to consider what operating system your team will be relying on. You may have been on the fence about upgrading to Windows 10 in the past but are now getting closer to planning your deployment. 

Of course, upgrading software can cause upheaval in an organization, especially when people haven’t had much time to learn about and integrate the new features into their workflow. While it’s not a task to take lightly, once you see the benefits of updating, you’ll want to get started as soon as possible. With that in mind, here are 16 reasons to upgrade to Windows 10 this year.

1. Increased productivity. Windows 10 will start up faster than previous iterations, and new features are designed to help your team work more efficiently.
2. Cost savings. The upgrade is not free for enterprise users, but organizations should realize cost savings because employees will save time and effort with the new system, and managing it will be a simpler task.
3. Improved security. New features in Windows 10 such as enhanced secure boot, device guard and credential guard alone should be a reason for an enterprise upgrade. You can also count on increased security under Windows 10 through more frequent updates from Microsoft.
4. Application Compatibility. Microsoft has placed a great emphasis on application compatibility, so most of your Windows 7 applications will work out of the box without any remediation.
5. Across all devices. Windows 10 boasts a common code base across desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. This leads to reduced application development costs for businesses. 
6. There are different Branching Options to choose from to better manage upgrades and updates:
   1. Windows Insider Branch Program lets enterprise project managers test out all the new features and work out any logistical roadblocks early on. 
   2. The Current Branch is designed for early adopter enterprises that rely on the latest tools and want to validate the system with the rest of their applications.
   3. The Current Branch for Business is ideal for most people in any given company, in particular because each feature will be deployed in series, gradually.
   4. The Long-term servicing Branch emphasizes stability. With no new features to work with and test, you can use this version to significants effect in such areas as factories or in POS situations.
7. Return of the Start menu. Power users and novices alike who miss the old Start button will be glad that this feature has returned after having been replaced by the Windows 8 Start screen.
8. Tablet Mode now lets end users make their tablet full-screen once more. This feature can be disabled if users prefer to use the more familiar desktop mode, of course.
9. Touch mode. Users are increasingly accustomed to using touch-sensitive displays on both tablets and desktop computers and will find Windows 10 touch to be a convenient way to get work done.
10. Virtual desktops are built into the new Windows 10 system. Users click to switch between different desktops, which dramatically helps when working on multiple, complex projects.
11. Device Guard is a new feature IT can set up to lock down devices so that they will only run applications deemed trustworthy.
12. The latest version includes Windows Hello, which lets people log in via biometric sensors such as a fingerprint reader or camera.
13. Action Center is a way for users to see quickly notifications about system changes, incoming emails and reminders set up in the calendar.
14. Microsoft Edge is the company’s new web browser, supplanting Internet Explorer from Windows 8. A major improvement is the powerful rendering engine.
15. Cortana isn’t just for Windows phones anymore. In Windows 10, Microsoft is now including this robust search assistant, which works for finding files on the computer as well as on the web.
16. The promise of Evergreen IT. There will be no next version of Windows 11 and with that no more big hump migrations. Windows 10 was launched as Windows-as-a-Service delivering security and feature updates in smaller and more frequent updates that get pushed out into the different branches. This allows business to stay up-to-date, safe and in compliance. 

Determining when it’s best to make a major upgrade to your system can be daunting, especially when you have hundreds or thousands of end users to support through your IT department. It makes sense to form a partnership with a third party company with expertise in IT migration projects. From reducing costs and improving security to taking advantage of Microsoft’s latest tools and options for service, a Windows 10 upgrade should help your team work together more efficiently and effectively.