What is our primary use case?
Our operation is remote, and third-party vendors completely provide our PCs. We have a contract with them, so they provided the hardware and remote software installation through automation services. They have the images. Each PC is personal, and we have one for each employee in the company, so there are around 70,000 users.
We have an Office-based environment, so we work on Microsoft Office and Teams. We use this for remote connections, networking, and whatever. A lot of our activities are based on Microsoft Teams.
How has it helped my organization?
This isn't related to Windows 10, but rather the application that works on top. Teams is a good application, and it has provided excellent support for us in terms of exchanging information remotely during the pandemic. Teams is an important tool for us, and so are the others like Office, Excel, and PowerPoint.
What needs improvement?
Windows 10 isn't as stable as MacOS and requires too many patches. When the patches are installing, it slows down the PC. These changes are complex, and many processes are running simultaneously, so we experience a decrease in speed.
Another thing that could be useful is the ability to create virtual machines inside to have a hypervisor if it's possible. That way, we could use the operating system to create new virtual machines, allowing us to add special installations that might be useful for personal projects. But this is complex, but it could meet the market demand. VMware is the most widely used system globally, and Oracle is also common. So it would be great if we had something that could be used inside the operating system without installing something on top.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using Windows 10 for three or four years. We had a recent upgrade, and I think we'll be moving toward Windows 11 soon.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Windows 10 isn't always stable. But we have an automated patching system, and we're required to install a lot of patches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our platform is 16 gigabytes, and we primarily use i5-based processors. For our typical use, this hardware is fine. We connect through the usual tools to our test plant, and we use normally Linux or Unix-based environments for development. The PCs are primarily used for office applications.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had an earlier version of Windows on our PCs. And about 15 years ago, we had a solution based on Sun Microsystems, so we used Unix. Windows 10 isn't as stable. That's why I prefer the macOS configuration. It's also less stable than the Unix-based Sun Microsystems setup we used some time ago.I think Windows is easier to use for office applications. But I wouldn't recommend it for industrial or telecom applications because I think many things need to be adjusted continuously, so I don't like this.
How was the initial setup?
I can install Windows 10 but not in our office because our external support provides it. However, I also have experience installing the full stack on a personal PC, so I think it's easy to do. I don't like the automatic installation of the patches because it's managed internally by the OS. In Unix, it's possible to make some changes. But the bottom line is that it's quite simple to install. I don't think that it's a problem. It takes maybe half an hour or less to install. It depends on the specs of the PC and what you need to do in advance, like backing up your drives. At most, it takes an hour.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Windows 10 eight out of 10. Microsoft should fix their releases as much as possible before putting them out. When I first installed Windows 10, I had to implement a lot of patches every week. This is not good. And even if we have a support service that prevents malware, we need to install antivirus and check every day. This isn't a problem for Unix-based platforms, which have more resilience for that. It depends on the use case. If you want to use Windows 10 for office applications, it's okay, but I wouldn't recommend it for industrial applications.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.