Windows Office Hours for IT professionals - July 2023

Event details

Get answers to your questions about adopting Windows 11 and managing the Windows devices used by remote, onsite, and hybrid workers across your organization. Get tips on keeping devices up to date ef...

Heather_Poulsen

Updated Jul 20, 2023

Office Hours

Florent Mordelet

Microsoft

Jul 20, 2023

Hi PGs! I often talk about the future of Windows with my customers. Windows 10 came with a Servicing model that is enabling continuous Upgrade of the OS. This servicing model should remove the "Big Bang Migrations" that occurred every 5 years (or so) and cost a lot of money to our customers. We need to move away from a Migration model to embrace a Servicing model with a continuous Upgrade approach. Yet, some/many customers are talking about a Windows 11 "Migration", when it should really be seen as an "OS Upgrade". The fact that we rename Windows (10,11,1X...) is fueling that "Migration model". Question to Windows PG: Do you see a future where Windows will only be called Windows (with build numbers, and no more 10,11,X) ? That could help remove the "Migration model" from our customer's mind and reinforce the Servicing Model. Thanks!

Joe_Lurie
Microsoft
Jul 20, 2023
Florent Mordelet With Windows 10, version 20H2, we made upgrades easier by using eKBs, also known as "enablement packages." These eKBs made moving from one version of Windows 10 to the next version of Windows 10 just like a monthly update with a single, 3-5 minute reboot. Moving to Windows 11 required an in-place upgrade.

We recently announced for those customers that are running Windows 11, version 22H2, when they move to version 23H2 later this year, it will also be an eKB. So customers that are running Windows 10 should move to Windows 11, version 22H2 now, and take advantage of the quick and easy update later.

There's no plan to remove a version indicator from Windows. But with our continuous innovations and eKBs, we are making these migrations easier for both IT and users.