Countdown to Windows 11: How UK and German Enterprises Are Tackling Migration Challenges
With Windows 10 support coming to an end, enterprise organisations must fast track their migration to Windows 11. How are UK and German enterprises tackling migration challenges and navigating compatibility, cost and security concerns?
written by: Andrew Braithwaite, Sales Engineering Manager, Panasonic TOUGHBOOK
Many organisations are using this migration as a catalyst for broader IT modernisation. Enterprises are looking to improve security and performance to better protect against threats, as well as to optimise hybrid work environments. Today, most new PCs ship with Windows 11 pre-installed, and Microsoft is aggressively nudging via support pages and update prompts for enterprises to migrate.
Older Devices Excluded from Migration
But adoption isn’t without barriers, and many industries have legacy applications and still rely on software built for older Windows versions. Hardware requirements such as TPM 2.0 and 64-bit architecture exclude older devices. Additionally, Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates (ESU) are available for Windows 10, and to some extent this is delaying the urgency.
Panasonic and Microsoft share a collaborative partnership that spans hardware, software, and cloud innovation. We have integrated Microsoft technologies through our rugged TOUGHBOOK devices, which run Windows 11 OS for industry-leading performance and robust security. Our Toughbook devices are used across multiple European countries, and we were keen to examine Windows 11 trends in the UK and Germany. We therefore recently interviewed over 200 decision-makers who were undertaking a migration to Windows 11. The cohort was evenly split with 100 respondents from each country.
Germany Shows Slower Adoption Rates
Despite the global rise of Windows 11, Germany is showing a slower adoption rate compared to the UK. We found that fewer devices in Germany (56%) will need to be replaced or upgraded to be compatible with Windows 11, than in the UK (68%).
The reason for slower migration is that many users are still on devices that don’t meet Windows 11’s requirements. German companies and public authorities may be slow to upgrade due to compatibility concerns or budget cycles.
Interestingly, security concerns are lower in Germany. Businesses that are either not migrating to Windows 11, or not investing in Microsoft’s ESU, have fewer concerns about the impact on their security posture, than the UK. The research found German respondents were not as ‘extremely concerned’ (47%) about increased vulnerability to ransomware and malware, as their UK counterparts (76%).
UK respondents were certainly more worried about the financial impact of migration. Eighty nine percent of businesses expect costs to increase for Windows 11 migrations if they are not completed before October 2025. This compares to 43% of German businesses that expect costs to rise. German respondents expect costs to rise mainly due to higher cybersecurity expenses (63%), followed by business continuity risks, and the cost of third-party software support (both 44% respectively). Whereas UK respondents were concerned about increased support costs (55%), higher cybersecurity expenses (51%), and business continuity risks (47%).
Migration Challenges and Benefits
Digging into the migration challenges, respondents in Germany cited their top challenges as device downtime limiting productivity (54%), application/business software compatibility (52%) and a lack of third-party support (48%).
Whereas challenges for UK respondents focused on application/business software compatibility (42%), waiting to migrate to coincide with end of current device lifecycle (42%), migration taking longer than planned (42%) along with devices being in remote locations with limited connectivity (42%).
That said both cohorts were anticipating migration benefits. German respondents recognised the increased security and protection (47%) that Windows 11 would deliver, the increased device usage (41%) and a future-proofed device ecosystem (39%).
In the UK, organisations expect increased performance and processing power (43%), increased security and protection (40%) and the ability to take advantage of AI features (34%).
Panasonic Well Positioned to Support
With the deadline looming, Windows 11 adoption is rising worldwide, but technical, financial, and cultural differences, in the UK and Germany, affect migration strategies. Despite shared goals around security, performance, and future-readiness, enterprises are navigating distinct challenges. As enterprises modernise their IT infrastructure, our rugged TOUGHBOOK devices are well-positioned to support this transformation, offering a secure, high-performance platform tailored to the evolving demands of hybrid work and AI-driven innovation.
To find out more about migrating to Windows 11, download our research white paper: “The High Cost of Standing Still: The Business Case for Upgrading to Windows 11.”
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