A billion. The milestone was reached last March. One billion active devices per month on Windows 10. But there’s a but. According to statcounter’s latest figures, despite an end to support since January 14, nearly 20% of Windows posts would still run Windows 7. This poses obvious security problems for organizations, with devices that have not been updated for several months. To overcome the problem, some have chosen to pay a significant extra cost to obtain extensive support from Microsoft. But that only solves part of the equation. What about performance, autonomy, user experience or integration with the information system?
Why Windows 10 when Windows 7 works? The stability and management features of Windows 7 have made it one of the administrators’ favorite editions. So much so that many remain attached to it, even 11 years after its launch. The first concern to brush off is that Windows 10 is by no means a break, either in terms of administration or usage. The operating system is compatible with 99% of windows 7 apps and works with other devices in the fleet, such as printers. When it gets updates, administrators remain in control. Microsoft’s policy is not the same today as it was when Windows 10 was launched, and it is possible to receive and apply updates at the pace the organization wants. The initial deployment is also extremely fluid, thanks to the new Autopilot feature. The latter allows the IT team to determine OS configuration parameters that are consistent with company policy and regulatory obligations. When the user receives their device, all they have to do is identify with their business email address so that the computer can retrieve all of these settings from the cloud. No physical intervention is required from the IT team. But the big differentiator is security. Microsoft has particularly worked on this aspect when designing its new OS. The built-in antivirus, Windows Defender, is now recognized as one of the best on the market and offers protection equivalent to, or even greater than, what can be offered by paid solutions. Another innovation is enhanced identity protection. With the integration of Windows Hello, Microsoft offers a biometric authentication function, by facial or digital recognition. A big step forward to avoid intrusions due to the use of weak passwords.
Why a new PC when the old one works?
If Windows 10 has all these advantages, why not just install it on devices currently on Windows 7? The questioning makes sense, as many organizations seek to maximize their technological investments. But the logic that the longer a PC is used, the lower its cost, does not stand up to a simple analysis of TCO.
The time lost by employees due to obsolete equipment costs the company money. On average, a new PC can halve the number of outages, triple battery life, and perform tasks up to 2.1 times faster with modern components. This makes the purchase price more profitable. A computer like the Acer Swift 3 Pro, for example, incorporates a 10th-generation Intel processor, a GeForce MX250 NVIDIA graphics card and full SSD storage. In addition to performance, today’s computers also offer a better user experience, with full-edged IPS Full HD display, fingerprint reader that simplifies and enhances authentication, or accelerated connectivity, both wired, with USB-C and Thunderbolt 3, and wireless, with Wi-Fi 6.Et all are embedded in frames less than 20 mm for a weight of just over 1 kg. Install Windows 10 on an old PC will not offer him this material makeover and will prevent you from taking full advantage of it |

Average Rating