This week saw the end of free Windows 10 upgrades

The following blog post This week saw the end of free Windows 10 upgrades was first posted on Nimbus Cloud Services

Microsoft has been offering Windows 10 for free over the last year - longer if you include the Insider Ring preview service that saw it become easily the most tested operating system in history. However, Microsoft now needs to return to normal service and will be charging for the OS for small business users. That's around £110 per install, while larger businesses have always had their own enterprise volume agreements. If you upgraded and don't like it, then you can downgrade back to your older operating system. If you haven't upgraded then you missed the boat - or did you? If you use assistive technologies, such as text-to-speech, you can still upgrade for free. If you did upgrade what are the benefits to Windows 10? For a start it integrates with all Microsoft's cloud services like Office 365, Skype and OneDrive so you can be more connected and it is easier to collaborate, communicate and back up data. Then, there's Cortana, who's way better than Siri when it comes to being a virtual digital assistant. She brings search and an increasing array of services to the start menu and will be of greater use as the operating system matures, especially for Windows Mobile users. Those features and the improved security, plus plenty of smarter interface and user experience features, should make Windows 10 a natural and valuable upgrade for most users, even those who only use Outlook and Office apps. While some users may be keen to stick with Windows 7 Pro, which we understand and indeed advised for may of our business users. Waiting until hardware is replaced is a valid and preferred strategy for may businesses. We may well see the cost of Windows 10 go up due to the weaker pound after the Brexit vote, with lots of technology firms increasing their UK prices.

If you have missed the boat on this one, don't worry, if you are running Windows 7, it is a great OS and will continue to sere you faithfully. We are on hand to provide and IT and business support you need.

Windows 10 cortana by brar_j licensed under Creative commons 4