Microsoft is linking Windows 11 and 365 more closely and wants to create a combo for secure hybrid work. But Windows 11 also gets additional security features, functionality improvements, and video conferences. Hybrid work is currently one of the dominant topics in IT regarding working with client computers and their operating systems. Many employees have become accustomed to working from home and want to keep it at least a few days a week. Companies also see benefits from more flexible forms of work, which make their employees happier and more productive. And Microsoft wants to make Windows the optimal platform for hybrid work; at least, that’s the promise. This includes additional functions for the more accessible position on the computer and improvements in security and device management because the home office poses a considerable challenge here.
Boundaries Between PC And Cloud Are Becoming Permeable
Last year Microsoft presented the cloud PC arrangement Windows 365, which runs on Microsoft Purplish blue. It gives you configurable cloud laptops with various execution classes that can be accessed from different gadgets. Microsoft typically leans toward Windows PCs as a passage point and rewards them with a markdown. Microsoft is currently presenting mixed choices planned to improve virtual laptops’ utilization in the cloud for crossover work. Another Windows 365 application, it will likewise run on Windows 10.
It is expected to empower a virtual PC to be begun rapidly in the cloud from the very outset menu or the taskbar without taking a diversion through the internet browser or the Microsoft far-off work area. The Windows 365 Switch highlight transforms a Windows 365 Cloud PC into the Windows 11 Errand Switcher coordinated. Subsequently, it empowers a fast switch between the neighborhood and virtual PC, for instance, while working in the workspace on your PC or scratch pad. For PCs that fundamentally act as the reason for the cloud PC, Windows 365 Boot offers the choice of remembering it for the Windows boot menu and, in any event, setting it there as the default determination.
For portable work with Windows 365 on journals, Microsoft is chipping away at a capability called Windows 365 Disconnected. Whenever wanted, it ought to empower you to keep working, assuming that there is briefly no web association accessible. When you re access the web, the neighborhood stockpiling synchronizes with the cloud. In any case, this element isn’t completely paltry since the virtual work area can’t just be spilled here; however, it should work with a nearby reserve that utilizes the assets of the neighborhood PC to empower consistent work.
One more component of closer coordination is the organization of nearby PCs and Windows 365 computers working together. With Windows 365 Undertaking, a cloud PC with Purplish blue Promotion Join can be immediately provisioned in Microsoft Endpoint Chief. For Windows 365 Business, Microsoft guarantees future joining into Microsoft 365 Beacon. With this, MSPs can likewise deal with their SME clients’ cloud computers.
More Functionality For Windows 11
According to Microsoft, the development of Windows 11 aimed to make it easier to use than Windows 10. However, many functions were removed to reduce complexity, triggering criticism from many users. With the next major update of Windows 11, the operating system will get some removed features back and even some valuable innovations for hybrid work.
An important feature is the app folders in the start menu, which finally make more applications quickly accessible again. The previous solutions using registry tweaks or tools are a viable option for private users but not for companies.
The snap function for quickly arranging windows is simplified, especially for touch operation, and the notification assistant is beefed up. He now calls himself Do Not Disturb, which better describes his job. File Explorer has received a significant update. With the tabs for quickly switching between several directories, there is a function that Microsoft had already tried in the Windows 10 Insider program but never rolled out. In addition, recent activities are listed, and there is the option to save files as favorites in a synchronized list. Explorer with AI support makes contextual suggestions for possible recipients when sharing files.For video conferences, the OS manufacturer is now integrating some functions directly into Windows that were previously only available in teams.
They become accessible to all conference apps. They include an automatic camera focus on the speaker, background blur, improved voice reproduction, and an AI function that simulates permanent eye contact. The Endpoint Manager now offers application management for Microsoft Edge with managed profiles. This increases security for companies when their employees use personal devices for work. In addition, Windows 11 allows sending system-wide messages directly to selected groups. They can instantly appear as a popup on the desktop, lock screen, or taskbar. Microsoft is announcing a cloud-based remote assistance tool as an additional premium feature for the Endpoint Manager.
New Security Features
According to Microsoft, the Smart App Control should bring a significant expansion of the security model of Windows 11, which previously warned against the execution of unknown or unsigned applications. The function anchored in the core of the operating system should only allow applications that are classified as safe to run with the help of code signing and machine learning in the Microsoft cloud. However, Smart App Control cannot be retrofitted to an existing Windows 11 installation, but requires a new building.
On Secured Core PCs with advanced security through Dynamic Root of Trust for Measurement (DRTM), an activated System Management Mode, Memory Access Protection and Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity, the Config Lock function monitors the integrity of registry keys via MDM policy. Defender SmartScreen improves protection against phishing attacks. Personal Data Encryption provides better protection for stored data by authenticating the user using Windows Hello for Business.
The Pluton chip developed by Microsoft is to be integrated directly into processors as the successor to the TPM 2.0 and thus offers protection against manipulation of the CPU. Firmware updates for Pluton also come now from Microsoft. Pluton is as secure against direct communication tapping as with TPMs connected via SPI or against exploiting software bugs in firmware TPMs (TPM). The chip is already on board in the new AMD Ryzen 6000 CPUs but not yet in Intel’s Alder Lake and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoCs for notebooks. Therefore, manufacturers such as Dell and Lenovo are unfortunately not yet willing to use them.
