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Tag: Windows

  • Windows K2, Microsoft’s new strategy for dealing with the problems of Windows 11

    Windows K2, Microsoft’s new strategy for dealing with the problems of Windows 11

    In the history of Microsoft’s operating systems, it has rarely been the case that a product still has to prove its worth almost five years after its release. Windows 11, while statistically dominating the market, is at a critical turning point. The project, internally dubbed ‘Windows K2’, is not just a package of technical fixes – it is an admission of flaws in user experience (UX) design and an attempt to regain the trust of the business sector at a time when support for Windows 10 has finally expired.

    Forced statistics: The reality of market 2026

    From an analytical perspective, the current market position of Windows 11 is the result not so much of user enthusiasm as of the inevitability of the software lifecycle. Although the system now controls around two-thirds of the market, a third of the PC fleet still operates on Windows 10 or older versions. In the enterprise sector, this resistance has been particularly pronounced.

    For business, the transition to Windows 11 presented two main barriers: stringent hardware requirements (TPM 2.0 module, newer generations of processors) and operational costs due to the need to train employees and adapt infrastructure. Microsoft, realising the risk of mass migration to alternative ecosystems or extending the life of old hardware, launched the ESU (Extended Security Updates) programme. However, paid support for Windows 10 is only a temporary solution – an expensive ‘stability tax’ that companies pay to avoid a still immature system. The K2 project is supposed to be an argument for investing this money in migration rather than persisting with the past.

    Performance architecture: Tackling “resource intensity”

    One of the most serious criticisms of Windows 11 is its inefficiency in resource management compared to its predecessor. Benchmark tests on identical hardware indicated that Windows 11 shows a greater appetite for RAM, without offering a commensurate increase in productivity in return. For IT departments managing thousands of workstations, this system ‘overweight’ means a shorter hardware lifecycle and higher TCO.

    A key element of the K2 operation is the full integration of the WinUI 3 structure. Microsoft is aiming to unify the interface, which is expected to eliminate historical legacies in the code that slow down File Explorer or the Start Menu. From a business point of view, the smoothness of the interface is not a question of aesthetics, but of ergonomics. Every second of delay in rendering menus or searching for files on a corporate scale translates into measurable efficiency losses.

    An end to ideology in favour of pragmatism

    Over the past few years, Microsoft has tried to impose its vision of the system as a service platform on users, manifesting itself through, among other things:

    • Stiff, limited taskbar.
    • Intrusive suggestions and ads in the Start Menu.
    • Aggressive promotion of Edge, Bing and OneDrive services.

    From a systems administrator’s perspective, this approach is problematic. An operating system in a professional environment should be a transparent tool, not a marketing channel. Pavan Davuluri’s announcements about restoring full functionality to the taskbar (including the ability to position it freely) and reducing unwanted content in the Start Menu demonstrate a return to pragmatism.

    Removing the ‘advertorial’ and intrusiveness of MSN services from the widgets is a step towards regaining the professional nature of the system. Business does not need the weather forecast interspersed with tabloid gossip inside a work tool. The K2 project seems to understand that control of the desktop must return to the user and administrator.

    Copilot: From euphoria to manageable assistance

    Artificial intelligence has become a cornerstone of Microsoft’s strategy, but the way it has been implemented in Windows 11 has been controversial. The integration of Copilot into applications such as Notepad and Paint was seen by many professional users as an unnecessary burden on the system and a potential risk to data confidentiality.

    There is a significant redefinition of the role of AI within the K2 project. Microsoft is moving away from the concept of ‘AI everywhere’ to ‘AI where it makes sense’. For the business sector, the most significant change is the ability to fully manage and disable Copilot functions on computers managed by central policies (GPO/Intune). This is critical for companies in regulated industries (finance, medical, legal) where uncontrolled data flow to the cloud is unacceptable. Copilot is intended to become an optional assistant rather than an integral, non-removable part of the system kernel.

    Repairing the feedback loop

    The Windows 11 release cycle was plagued by unstable updates that could cripple entire departments. Criticism focused on prioritising new features over code quality. As part of Operation K2, Microsoft announced a ‘resuscitation’ of the Windows Insider programme.

    For the business, this signals that the patch testing process will become more rigorous. The promise that Insider feedback will realistically influence the final shape of the update is key to avoiding a Patch Tuesday scenario. Additionally, greater flexibility in deferring updates and streamlining the configuration process for new devices (OOBE) is expected to reduce technical downtime, a direct gain for the operational agility of businesses.

  • France is replacing Windows with Linux. Great migration of administration in 2026

    France is replacing Windows with Linux. Great migration of administration in 2026

    The French strategy to move away from proprietary solutions is an industrial-scale operation, the centrepiece of which is the systemic dismantling of the Vendor Lock-in mechanism. Two key institutions are responsible for the architecture of this process: The Interministerial Directorate for Digitalisation (DINUM) and the National Agency for the Security of Information Systems (ANSSI). The manifesto they have developed is not limited to replacing Windows; it is a deep reconstruction of the entire state technology stack, based on full control of the source code.

    At the core of this change are eight technical pillars to be implemented across all ministries by autumn 2026. The most prominent element is the operating systems layer. Although the directive does not impose one particular Linux distribution, it forces ministries to move out of the Microsoft monoculture. This deliberate flexibility allows the environment to be adapted to specific sectoral requirements – such as in defence or health – while maintaining the common denominator of an open standard.

    A key implementation tool is La Suite Numérique. It is a proprietary ecosystem of productivity tools that has already covered more than 600,000 officials in its test phase. It includes:

    • Tchap: an encrypted end-to-end communicator based on the Matrix protocol.
    • Visio: a videoconferencing system using the Jitsi open code.
    • Euro-Office: a sovereign office suite developed in European cooperation.

    The choice of open source solutions here is not dictated solely by optimising licence costs. In the DINUM documentation, security is defined by ‘auditability’. Full code transparency allows French services to independently verify systems for the presence of vulnerabilities and undocumented functions (backdoors), which is impossible with closed source systems.

    An important element of the French manifesto is the infrastructure layer. The state rejects the model of hosting data in the public clouds of US hyperscalers in favour of national solutions such as Outscale (Dassault Systèmes). With SecNumCloud certification, this infrastructure is legally and technically isolated from the influence of non-European jurisdictions, eliminating the risks associated with, for example, the US CLOUD Act.

    To summarise the first stage of the transformation: France is redefining the concept of modern administration. Instead of a passive subscription to off-the-shelf products, the state is opting for a model of investing in the development of its own competences and the maintenance of systems over which it has full control. This approach puts an end to a situation in which the evolution of administrative tools, their price and operational risks are dictated by the business strategy of an external, foreign provider.

    The geopolitical trigger, or Trump and the “Data Cold War”

    France’s decision on systemic migration was not made in a technological vacuum, but is a direct reaction to the abrupt change in the balance of power on the Washington-Brussels axis between 2024 and 2025. The return of Donald Trump’s administration brought not only trade protectionism and tariffs, but above all regulatory unpredictability, which became an unacceptable risk for European public institutions. In this context, software has ceased to be regarded as an office tool and has become a strategic resource subject to a ‘digital tariff war’.

    A key argument for abandoning US ecosystems has become a jurisdictional issue. Existing US laws, including the CLOUD Act, give US services theoretical and practical insight into data processed by homegrown corporations, regardless of the physical location of the servers. For France, which has been promoting a data sovereignty strategy since late 2024, keeping critical infrastructure on Microsoft or Azure solutions has become a structural weakness.

    The ‘spirit of Munich’ is often invoked in the public debate. – the Bavarian capital’s high-profile but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to switch to Linux almost two decades ago. However, analysts point out that 2026 is a very different technological reality. Why is the project likely to succeed this time?

    1 Maturity of the ecosystem: Today’s desktop Linux is stable and ready for the mass user, as evidenced by successful deployments in smaller government agencies across the EU.

    2 Cloud architecture and SaaS: Most critical administrative applications have moved to the browser. The operating system has become merely an ‘access layer’, dramatically reducing the compatibility issues that buried the Munich project.

    3 Containerisation and OpenStack: Modern virtualisation standards allow specific software to be isolated and run independently of the host, which solves the problem of so-called legacy software.

    The effects of this shift can already be seen in the market data. The dominance of US cloud providers (85% of the EU market) is starting to get a real bite from local players. Companies such as Scaleway have seen record increases in the number of institutional customers in 2025. This is no coincidence – European players are actively seeking asylum from US jurisdiction.

    It is estimated that spending on sovereign cloud infrastructure in Europe will more than triple, reaching a ceiling of €23 billion in 2027. France, by initiating this move, is positioning itself as the leader of a new digital order in which control over the algorithm and data is as important as control over physical borders. This appears to be the beginning of a ‘digital chill’ in which Europe chooses technological autarky as the only way to maintain political agility.

    The Polish perspective: Between a national ‘Office’ and the trauma of major deployments

    In February 2026, the Polish debate on digital sovereignty ceased to be theoretical. The Central Informatics Centre (COI) announced a plan to build a national office suite to break the dictates of Microsoft. This is in response to data from a report by the Instrat Foundation at the end of 2025, which exposed the scale of the vendor lock-in phenomenon in Poland: as much as 99% of public procurement of office software favours Redmond products. This phenomenon has ceased to be a technical problem and has become an economic barrier – when licence costs rise, the administration, trapped in closed standards, has no real escape route.

    The Polish attempt is chasing French radicalism, but in Poland political optimism is clashing with historic business scepticism. The main inhibitor is trauma, of which the ZUS Comprehensive Information System (KSI ZUS) remains a symbol. Since the maintenance of a single system was able to consume PLN 2.8 billion over a six-year cycle, the IT industry is rightly asking whether the state is ready to build an ecosystem from scratch capable of competing with Microsoft 365. There is a real risk that the ‘national alternative’, rather than saving money, will generate a new billion-dollar ‘bottomless pit’.

    The key argument of the COI is that the structure of spending has changed. In the subscription model, capital goes directly to the US. Moving to open source solutions (LibreOffice, Nextcloud, OnlyOffice) does not mean that the system will be ‘free’, but it radically changes the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO):

    • Instead of licences – services: Funds are redirected to local integrators for implementation, support and training.
    • Investment in staff: the need to build strong in-country support teams instead of relying on the manufacturer’s external SLA.
    • Hardware longevity: Open source software allows older workstations to last longer, which fits in with the sustainability policy.

    The impetus that cut off discussions about the ‘convenience’ of the interface was an incident in May 2025, when the Attorney General of the International Criminal Court in The Hague temporarily lost access to Microsoft mail. It became clear to Warsaw that the SaaS (Software as a Service) model was not only about convenience, but also about exposure to US extraterritorial law (CLOUD Act).

    However, Poland does not have to build the wheel ‘from scratch’. An opportunity for the COI is its role as an integrator of European standards, such as the German openDesk or the French La Suite Numérique. If the national suite is built on the basis of transparent public-private partnerships and not locked inside a single institution, it could become a flywheel for the domestic IT sector. After all, true sovereignty is not about using software because it is ‘national’, but about the ability to freely choose technology that does not make the state hostage to a single supplier.

    Global impact and redefinition of the relationship with Big Tech

    The French retreat from the Windows ecosystem is forcing a fundamental shift in the business strategy of global technology corporations. For decades, a model based on closed software and a monopolistic position on desktops has been the foundation of Microsoft’s stable public sector revenues. The Paris decision, backed by specific timeframes and budgets, ends the unconditional acceptance of the terms dictated by Redmond vendors.

    The main impact for Microsoft and other giants (Google, AWS) is the loss not only of financial revenue – one country’s administration is a fraction of global revenue – but of its status as the ‘default standard’. If France proves that the modern state can operate on the basis of a proprietary technology stack (La Suite Numérique) and open systems, the ‘Vendor Lock-in’ model may begin to crumble in other regions of the world, from the European Union countries to the BRICS group countries also seeking technological emancipation.

    Projected changes in Big Tech strategies:

    • Forced transparency: Microsoft, in order to save its position in Europe, will be forced to offer so-called sovereign clouds with a much higher degree of transparency of source code and data location. Already we are seeing attempts to create partnerships (e.g. the Bleu project in France) that are supposed to be an ‘acceptable compromise’ between US technology and European security requirements.
    • Shifting front on AI: As the operating system becomes a commodity, artificial intelligence models are the new battleground for dominance. The success of the French Mistral AI shows that Europe is taking the ‘open weights’ route, which stands in contrast to the closed ecosystems of OpenAI or Google.
    • Consolidation of the European IT market: The French push is stimulating demand for the services of local infrastructure providers (OVHcloud, Scaleway, Dassault Systèmes). The estimated increase in sovereign cloud spending to €23 billion in 2027 represents capital that will be invested in European innovation instead of funding US R&D.

    States will increasingly require the full auditability of software as a condition for admission to public procurement. As a result, technology giants will face a choice: either comply with sovereignty requirements and open up their systems to external scrutiny, or be pushed out of the most sensitive sectors of government.

    The replacement of the dashboard layer in France is only the visible apex of change. Underneath is a deep reconfiguration of financial and decision-making flows. If this model proves effective, Microsoft could lose its role as the ‘operating system of states’, becoming just one of many providers in a pluralistic, open ecosystem.

    Sovereignty as an investment, not a political cost

    While the upfront costs of migrating 2.5 million civil servants to open source solutions are significant, they should be seen in the category of an investment in the national technology ecosystem rather than a one-off operational expense. Unlike the subscription model, where capital irretrievably leaves the local market, funds invested in the development of solutions such as La Suite Numérique build sustainable developer and infrastructure competencies within the state.

    A key factor for success in 2026 is to move away from thinking of the operating system as an isolated island. France is proving that sovereignty is built in layers: from open code on desktops, to certified cloud (SecNumCloud), to independent AI models (Mistral). This approach solves the dilemma faced by previous projects – changing from Windows alone to Linux while remaining in the Microsoft or Google cloud would only be a facade change. Only control of the entire technology stack provides real resilience to geopolitical pressures and changes in the pricing policies of global corporations.

    Lessons for Poland and decision-makers in the CEE region:

    1 Audit of dependencies: The Polish administration needs to move beyond the role of a passive consumer of licences. A sound TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) analysis over a decade is required, taking into account the risk of sudden increases in subscription prices and the potential benefits of developing in-house tools.

    2 Building an alternative pathway: The French example shows that migration does not have to be abrupt, but must be planned. Poland needs its own ‘plan B’ – an open source toolkit that can be implemented in parallel to proprietary systems, reducing the degree of dependency (so-called vendor lock-in).

    3 Regional cooperation:*Digital sovereignty on the scale of one medium-sized country is difficult to achieve. An opportunity for Poland is active participation in projects such as the Euro-Office or a common European cloud, which will allow R&D costs to be spread over many member states.

    Continuing to remain in Microsoft’s ‘licence well’ is a short-sighted strategy. And although full digital sovereignty is a utopia, moves to give more choice and independence from one key supplier are seen as necessary, especially in a tense geopolitical situation.

  • Microsoft stops bombarding users with Copilot and withdraws AI from Windows 11

    Microsoft stops bombarding users with Copilot and withdraws AI from Windows 11

    For the past two years, Microsoft’ s strategy has been clear: artificial intelligence is to be everywhere, whether the user wants it or not. However, the Redmond giant’s latest decisions suggest that it is time for a substantive rethink. Pavan Davuluri, head of Windows and devices, has just announced a significant change of course.

    Copilot, hitherto shoved into almost every nook and cranny of the operating system, is beginning to disappear from places where its presence was forced.

    This is not just a minor technical correction, but a strategic signal for the technology market. Apps such as Photos, Notepad and the Clipping Tool are losing direct, aggressive links to the AI assistant. Microsoft thus acknowledges that the ubiquity of algorithms has become a burden rather than a convenience for many business users.

    “Noise” generated by uninvited AI functions began to generate resistance, which Redmond must have eventually recognised.

    Analysing these moves in a broader context, it is clear that Microsoft has hit an enthusiasm ceiling. The problems with the Recall feature – which, due to privacy and data security concerns, has become an image burden – showed that the pace of innovation has overtaken infrastructure readiness and customer confidence. The slowing down of Copilot integration in File Explorer or System Settings is an attempt to salvage the foundations of Windows: transparency and predictability.

    The added value from AI comes not from its ubiquity, but from its fine-tuning to processes. Rather than ‘pushing’ the assistant everywhere, Microsoft is now promising to get back to basics, such as optimising system speed and greater taskbar personalisation.

    It is a rare moment when the world’s largest software company acknowledges that a product must follow real user needs, not just stock trends. For the Windows ecosystem, this marks a shift from the ‘AI at all costs’ phase to one of mature implementation.

  • Microsoft’s costly mistake: Why January’s patch hit enterprise productivity

    Microsoft’s costly mistake: Why January’s patch hit enterprise productivity

    Rarely does the cure prove more dangerous than the disease. But for Microsoft, the start of 2026 has been marked by putting out fires that the company itself has stoked. The just-released emergency update KB5078127 is intended to fix the chaos introduced by January’s ‘Patch Tuesday’ cycle on Windows 11 systems (versions 24H2 and 25H2).

    From a business perspective, the incident is more than just a technical glitch; it is a lesson in the fragility of modern cloud-based workflows. The problems, which began on 13 January, hit the very foundations of everyday work: file access and communication. Users using OneDrive or Dropbox experienced ‘freezing’ applications when trying to save documents. Outlook users were particularly hard hit. Errors when saving PST files resulted not only in the need to reboot entire systems, but also in the loss of sent messages and inconsistent email databases.

    For IT departments already grappling with increasing infrastructure complexity, the two-week delay in delivering an effective solution was a wake-up call. Microsoft initially tried to salvage the situation with an optional interim patch to restore basic power functions – after the January update, some computers stopped responding to sleep and shutdown commands. However, this solution did not touch the core of the storage problem.

    The decision to release an ‘out-of-band’ update (outside the standard schedule) suggests that the scale of requests from enterprise customers has exceeded the Redmond giant’s tolerance threshold. KB5078127 is a cumulative update, meaning that technical departments can deploy it automatically, eliminating the effects of previous bugs without having to manually configure each workstation.

    Microsoft’s aggressive release cycle has increasingly come at the expense of stability. In an environment where operating system stability is treated as a public medium, such stumbles undermine confidence in automatic updates, forcing administrators to revert to conservative methods of testing patches in isolated environments before mass deployment.

  • The clock for Windows 10 is ticking. Companies face an inevitable decision

    The clock for Windows 10 is ticking. Companies face an inevitable decision

    On 14 October 2025, Microsoft will end free support for Windows 10, a date that should be highlighted in red in every IT manager’s calendar.

    After this date, computers running this system will stop receiving key security updates, making them an easy target for cyber attacks.

    Even though there is just over a year left until the end of support, a huge part of the market is still ignoring the upcoming changes. This is a mistake that could cost companies much more than the price of new licences and hardware.

    Resistance to matter and the illusion of safety

    The market data is clear. Despite the growing popularity of Windows 11, its predecessor still dominates a huge number of machines. According to Statcounter data from August 2025, Windows 10 is still running on more than 55% of Microsoft PCs worldwide. Why the resistance to change?

    The reasons are understandable. Users value Windows 10 for its familiar interface and stability of operation. From a business perspective, migration is a complex project – it involves the cost of buying new hardware, verifying software compatibility and the need to train employees.

    Many companies put off this decision, following the thinking: “if the computer still works, why change it?”.

    However, this is a dangerous illusion. In the context of cyber security, the argument “it still works” has no value. A system without updates is like a house with the door wide open. Any newly discovered security vulnerability will remain there forever, giving attackers constant and easy access to company data. The cost of a single successful ransomware attack or data leak can outweigh the expense of infrastructure upgrades many times over.

    A technological imperative, not a manufacturer’s whim

    There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Windows 11 hardware requirements, but this is not due to any ill will on Microsoft’s part. Modern operating systems base their security architecture on features integrated directly into the hardware.

    These include mechanisms such as TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module), which enables encryption at the chipset level, and Secure Boot, which protects the boot process from malware.

    Older computers simply do not have these components, making it impossible to implement a full, multi-layered protection model. Continuing to support incompatible hardware would mean a security compromise that cannot be afforded in today’s threat landscape.

    What do we gain? New opportunities and competitive advantages

    Migrating to Windows 11 is not only a necessity dictated by security, but also an opportunity to implement tools that make a real difference to productivity.

    • Integration with AI: Functions such as Copilot are deeply integrated into the system, assisting employees in writing texts, analysing data or creating presentations. These are tools that speed up work and automate repetitive tasks.
    • Deeper integration with the cloud: Data synchronisation, backup and collaboration in distributed teams run much more smoothly in Windows 11, which is crucial in the age of hybrid working.
    • Performance and efficiency: New devices with Windows 11 pre-installed are often lighter, more energy-efficient and more powerful, also thanks to support for ARM architecture. This means longer battery life and a better user experience.

    A chaotic last-minute migration is a recipe for disaster. Companies that have not yet started the process should follow a well-thought-out plan:

    1. Infrastructure audit: The first step is to inventory the hardware and software. It is important to identify which devices are compatible with Windows 11 and which need to be replaced. It is also crucial to check that business-critical applications run correctly on the new system.
    2. Create a schedule: Based on the audit, a detailed migration roadmap should be prepared, identifying which departments or user groups will be switched first. It is worth starting with pilot projects.
    3. Data management and backup: Before migration, it is crucial to create full backups of data. Modern cloud tools make this process much easier, but it requires planning.
    4. Communication and training: Employees need to understand why the change is necessary and how it will affect their daily work. Transparent communication and short training sessions will minimise resistance and fears, ensuring a smooth transition.

    The end of support for Windows 10 is a fact. Continuing to use it will be an act of conscious acceptance of risk. For companies, the question is no longer ‘whether’ to move to Windows 11, but ‘how’ and ‘when’ to organise the process. The sooner they take action, the more control they will retain over the security and future of their digital infrastructure.

  • Windows 2030: Microsoft is betting everything on AI

    Windows 2030: Microsoft is betting everything on AI

    Microsoft has revealed a glimpse of its long-term vision for the world’s most popular operating system. In a new video series, ‘Windows 2030 Vision’, the company has outlined a future where artificial intelligence is no longer an add-on, but the foundation of the entire user experience.

    The direction is clear: in six years’ time, interaction with a computer is expected to resemble a conversation with an assistant, and the keyboard and mouse may become relics of the past.

    Microsoft’s strategy follows a multi-billion dollar investment in AI technologies, including OpenAI. The conglomerate aims to fully integrate artificial intelligence into its key products, and Windows, as the gateway to the digital world for hundreds of millions of users, is at the heart of this plan.

    It is no longer just about adding features such as Copilot. The aim is to rebuild the operating system kernel itself so that it is inherently intelligent.

    In the vision set out by Vice President of Security, David Weston, the traditional graphical interface is giving way to multimodal communication.

    The operating system of the future is supposed to understand context by seeing what the user is doing on the screen and hearing their voice commands. Instead of manually clicking through menus and windows to perform a complex task, the user is to simply delegate it to an intelligent AI agent.

    Such an agent would coordinate work between different applications and files, in a similar way to how AI-integrated browsers begin to manage multiple tabs.

    This is a fundamental change that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has announced will transform the essence of operating systems. According to unofficial information, prototypes exploring this new interaction model are already being developed in Redmond.

    Despite the bold announcements, Microsoft’s vision is being met with a cool reception and raises numerous questions. Previous attempts to integrate AI into Windows 11, including the Copilot feature, have failed to deliver the promised productivity revolution and are often seen as imposed and underdeveloped.

    Key issues remain open, such as the significant increase in demand for system resources, privacy in a world where the computer ‘sees and hears’ our work, and the business model for such solutions.

    Users also fear being concreted in the Microsoft ecosystem, with no choice of competing AI tools. The wider social context is also hard to ignore – the vision of office automation is at odds with the wave of redundancies sweeping the tech sector.

    Its dominant position in the desktop market gives Microsoft a unique opportunity to implement its vision on a massive scale. While competing chatbots will remain confined to the application framework, an AI agent embedded in the operating system could become a ubiquitous coordinator of digital life.

    While the announcement that by 2030 keyboards and mice will become as alien to Generation Z as MS-DOS is today seems exaggerated, the direction of change is indisputable. Microsoft is betting on AI as the driving force behind the next generation of Windows.

    For users and businesses, this means adapting or, as critics suggest, seeking alternatives while there is time. The AI revolution in Windows has already begun.