The unsurprising lesson Microsoft learned after upgrading its own PCs to Windows 11

After upgrading its own business PCs to its latest operating system, Microsoft has reached a rather unsurprising conclusion: Windows 11 is good.

In a new blog post, Microsoft explained it has now upgraded almost the entirety of its circa 182,000-strong workforce to Windows 11, claiming it had no increase in support tickets in the process.

Microsoft attributed the successful rollout to having far fewer app compatibility challenges than in the past, not needing to build out a plethora of disk images, and delivery processes and tools that were greatly improved during the rollout of Windows 10. The update utilized a gradual ‘ring-based’ approach.

Windows 11 rollout

Microsoft said it identified which of its devices were upgradable first, using its Update Compliance tool and Microsoft Endpoint Manager’s Endpoint analytics, allowing the firm to create a clear timeline for the rollout.

Windows 11 has specific hardware requirements, and a percentage of Microsoft’s devices were not upgraded. The employees with these incompatible devices will continue to run Windows 10 in parallel, before getting a Windows 11 device at their next device refresh.

Microsoft said that, in total, 190,00 devices qualified for the upgrade and that its upgrade process was 99% successful.

The company also explained the importance of preparing readiness content for its employees during the internal rollout process.

The software giant said that Yammer, FAQs, Microsoft SharePoint, email, Microsoft Teams, its internal homepage, and digital signage were some of the tools used to bring the message to its employees.

Microsoft said its communications team focused on promoting the new look and features of Windows 11, including the speed of the update and its flexible scheduling.

The news comes as adoption of Windows 11 by the wider market seems to be moving relatively slowly.

In March 2022, Windows 11 took just 0.1% market share from other editions of Microsoft’s software, accounting for 19.4% of the overall usage, with a further 0.6% using a Windows 11 Insider build.

It seems consumers also need to be wary of installing and managing their own Windows 11 updates, as some cybercriminals seem to be snapping up the opportunity to attack devices.

Security researchers found a fake Windows 11 upgrade website that promises to offer a free Windows 11 install for PCs that don’t meet the minimum specifications, but instead installs data-stealing malware.