Preparing for the Future: Windows 11 Readiness with Ultima Business Solutions

Stuart Sims, Head of Workspace Pre Sales, Ultima

Edition Seven

As we approach the end of life (EOL) for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, the urgency for businesses to transition to Windows 11 is becoming increasingly clear.

For IT managers, business decision-makers, and C-suite executives, the challenge isn’t just about upgrading to the latest operating system—it’s about doing so in a way that ensures business continuity, leverages new capabilities, and aligns with Microsoft’s vision for the future of computing.

At Ultima Business Solutions, we understand the complexities of this transition and have developed a suite of services designed to streamline the process, mitigate risks, and optimize outcomes. In this article, we’ll explore the critical aspects of Windows 11 readiness, including hardware preparation, device management, and application lifecycle management. We’ll also discuss the importance of early planning and how Ultima’s services can support your journey to a successful Windows 11 deployment.

Windows 11 Accelerator: Laying the Foundation for a Seamless Transition

Among the top concerns for enterprises considering the move to Windows 11 are ensuring that the endpoint management platform and user device hardware are up to the task, Windows 11 comes with specific hardware requirements that differ from its predecessor and there are some notable adjustments to be made to endpoint management environment and considerations for application usage, meeting these requirements is essential for a smooth upgrade. And last but not least ensuring the end user experience is not negatively impacted by the change is paramount to any significant workspace change. Ultima’s Windows 11 Accelerator is designed to address these concerns head-on through 3 main service options:

1.

The core Windows 11 Accelerator service is a set of Professional Services designed to support you in the key areas around preparing for the upgrade

Hardware Readiness

We begin with a comprehensive assessment of your existing hardware to determine compatibility with Windows 11. This includes identifying devices that meet the new requirements and those that may need an upgrade or replacement.

Intune / Config Manager Configuration

For businesses utilizing Microsoft Intune or Microsoft Configuration Manager, we provide expert configuration services to ensure that your device upgrades are managed efficiently and that your endpoint management policies follow best practice for managing Windows 11. This includes setting up policies for compliance, security, and app deployment that are aligned with Windows 11’s capabilities.

New Build/Upgrade Configuration

Our team can support you in configuring new Windows 11 build task sequences in Configuration Manager or Windows 11 Autopilot Profiles for Microsoft Intune, ensuring that your new devices are supported from day one.

2.

TransitionGuard: Insight-Driven Transition Experience Monitoring

Ensuring a significant change to the end users experience, such as a Windows 11 upgrade, doesn't negatively impact productivity is key. An upgrade can impact many aspects of an endpoints function which are not always immediately evident, for example an application can start performing slower than before or the hardware might struggle with the demands of the new OS despite the hardware being compatible. These types of issues can go unnoticed and/or unreported for months after an upgrade or after any major change to an environment but the impact is significant which is a drop in end user productivity and a loss of revenue.

If you don't already have an end user experience monitoring solution that is capable of identifying pre-reqs and monitoring change in realtime we can supply you with a project license and associated services to support the following during your Windows 11 transition:

Device Refresh Analysis

Correlate actual user experience to device health and performance to determine whether devices need replacement, upgrade, or no action at all.

Digital Experience Baseline

Automatically baseline your end user digital experience to use as a benchmark for assessing the impact of moving to Windows 11 be that a positive or negative impact. This also provides a set of actionable insights to ensure this does not happen.

Anomaly Detection

Leverage machine learning to continuously monitor and analyze performance metrics, automatically identifying deviations from expected behavior during your Windows 11 roll out. This helps to quickly detect and prioritize issues based on severity, ensuring timely intervention and minimizing potential disruptions caused by the upgrade.

User Sentiment Monitoring

capture real-time feedback from users through tailored surveys. This feature complements existing application and device performance data, providing a comprehensive understanding of employee satisfaction. By integrating both quantitative and qualitative data, IT teams can pinpoint areas needing improvement and implement targeted measures to optimize the digital experience relating to the Windows 11 change.

Digital Experience Analysis

We will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the digital experience across your enterprise, identifying performance hot spots impacting employees and customers, allowing you to benchmark performance, identify gaps and the changes required to improve the overall end user experience.

3.

App Readiness: Ensuring Compatibility and User Satisfaction

Automated App Discovery

One of the most significant concerns when upgrading to a new operating system is ensuring that all applications remain compatible and perform as expected. Ultima’s App Readiness service provides an estate wide Windows App Discovery leveraging data sources such as Active Directory, Configuration Manager and Intune and enables discovery of locally installed apps as well. This service is for customers with a large app estate and who don’t have full visibility or control over it.

App Packaging

Ultima can offer a range of App Packaging Services to meet your needs, be that an onsite presence to manage the end to end app packaging process or remote bulk packaging services to deal with large volumes of apps to be packaged.

Automated App Testing

If you have a large estate of Windows applications we can provide Automated Application Compatibility Testing that significantly reduced the time and effort involved in Windows 11 app compatibility testing: Before rolling out Windows 11 across your organization, we conduct thorough automated testing to ensure that all applications are compatible with the new OS. This process helps to identify potential issues with both app deployment and app usage for Windows 11 allowing for timely remediation and minimising disruption to your operations.

The Importance of Early Planning

With the EOL for Windows 10 approaching, the time to start planning your transition to Windows 11 is now. For enterprises with a significant number of endpoints, this process can be complex and time-consuming. Early planning and preparation are essential to avoid the pitfalls of learning on the go, which can lead to costly delays and disruptions.

Windows 11 represents Microsoft’s vision for the future of computing, with enhanced security features, improved performance, and a better user experience across various devices and work environments. By upgrading to Windows 11, businesses can position themselves to take full advantage of these advancements, ensuring that their IT infrastructure remains secure, efficient, and scalable.

Partner with Ultima for a Successful Windows 11 Transition

The transition to Windows 11 is not just a technical upgrade; it’s a strategic move that can unlock new opportunities for your business. At Ultima Business Solutions, we are committed to helping you navigate this journey with confidence.

We invite you to schedule a call with one of our specialists today. During the call, we’ll introduce you to our Digital Workspace practice, discuss your current OS strategy and Windows 11 rollout plans, and walk you through our Accelerator service and complementary solutions.

Together, we’ll agree on the next steps, which may include engaging our Workspace-related Professional Services or procuring third-party software to accelerate your journey to Windows 11.

Don’t wait until the last minute—start planning your Windows 11 upgrade today.

Stuart Sims, Head of Workspace Pre Sales, Ultima

The Head of Workspace Presales at Ultima, Stuart specialises in crafting and delivering IT workspace solutions that empower organisations across both the private and public sectors to optimise their digital environments. With over three decades of experience, he has a proven track record in driving the adoption of transformative workspace technologies, particularly within the finance and education industries.

Stuart leads Ultima’s Modern Workspace Presales Practice which is focused on enhancing corporate decision-making and accelerating change through client-centric propositions that deliver comprehensive tailored solutions and technical consultancy. He has deep expertise in digital transformation and migration, helping clients seamlessly integrate the latest technologies to optimise their end user experience and boost productivity.

As a thought leader and media spokesperson for Ultima, Stuart is dedicated to sharing insights on modern workspace solutions and the significant benefits they offer to organisations of all sizes with a goal to deliver expert-led technology services that drive meaningful results for your business.