Blue Ridge Technology

Times Up! ​If your business is still running Windows 10, time to upgrade safely is running out. By this time you’ve already had to spend extra to sign up for Extended Security Updates (ESU) if you want to stay current and protected. If this isn’t something you watch closely, we understand — you have a business to run after all. It may also seem like all is well for now: Windows 10 machines still boot up and run as stable as you’re accustomed to. They even get security updates…for now. But that changes for good in October. Windows 10 Extended Support Ends October 2026 Microsoft already ended standard support for Windows 10 back in October 2025, advising businesses to upgrade to Windows 11 to get the latest and greatest (and most secure) Windows experience. But for a variety of reasons, that didn’t work for every business. For example, if: You’re still running old machines that can’t officially upgrade to Windows 11. You rely on legacy software that doesn’t operate past Windows 10. You ...

Windows 11 Even as more businesses adopt Windows 11, Microsoft is extending Windows 10 support—for a price. Microsoft Windows 11 has been available for three years now, but some businesses have been slow to make the move. This is pretty normal: every time Microsoft releases a new version of Windows, many businesses wait to see whether everything they need to run their businesses will still work normally in the shiny new version of Windows. Well, we’re finally seeing a significant uptick in businesses upgrading to Windows 11: By late 2024, Windows 11 was installed on a little more than 35% of business PCs. We’ll get into some of the reasons why Windows 11 adoption is on the rise and why now might be the right time for you to upgrade if you haven’t yet. But first, we need to talk about the other ~65%. Windows 10 Still Dominates the Market — But Changes Are Coming Windows 10 is still running on nearly 61% of business PCs, almost twice as many as are running Windows 11. (The “missing” 4% a...

Microsoft has announced some major upcoming changes to the Windows Photos app in Windows 11. You might tend to think of that app as something for personal use (like organizing vacation photos), not a business tool. But with the updates coming soon to the app, it could be time to reconsider. If you work with photos at all in your workflows, even in seemingly small ways, Windows Photos might have something for you in the next update. Here’s what’s on the way. Biggest New Feature: Visual Search with Bing Microsoft is about to infuse its desktop photos app with the power of its Bing AI, giving you the ability to conduct what it calls Visual Searches. Visual Search looks like a version of something called a reverse image search, possibly with other enhancements as well. So what’s a reverse image search? It’s where you use an image you already have as the “search term”. Imagine going to Google.com or Bing.com to ask a question or search for “best ergonomic keyboard” — but instead of giving y...

You’ve heard of Copilot… but what is it? Microsoft Copilot is here now, and it’s worth checking out. You might have heard of Microsoft Copilot by now, but we can't blame you if the details are a little fuzzy. New tech developments are coming fast and furious these days, and it's easy to miss some as they come along or to not see how a particular tool will impact your business. So here’s what you need to know about Microsoft’s newest assistant — what it is, why it’s better than previous options, and the limitations you should know about before diving deep. What Is Microsoft Copilot? Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft’s latest AI-driven virtual assistant. It’s built into Microsoft Edge (the company’s newish web browser), and businesses with a Microsoft 365 subscription will eventually see it show up across Microsoft’s office suite — in Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and more. Getting Déjà vu? Take a Closer Look If you’re reading this and thinking “I’ve seen this movie before,” yo...

Don’t pull the trigger just yet! In June 2021, Microsoft announced that a brand-new version of Windows was coming later in the year. While the tech press was expecting some sort of update, a full-fledged new major release of Windows was a surprise. But as we’ve all learned more about Windows 11, we’re growing more and more excited about the release. Your business will likely benefit from moving to Windows 11, but, in true Microsoft fashion, the rollout is going to be a bit complicated. Here’s what you need to know about the coming Windows 11 update — plus what you might need to do to get ready. When Is Windows 11 Releasing? Technically, it’s already here (as of October 5, 2021). Just not for everyone, all at once. Microsoft is taking a phased approach to the Windows 11 rollout, which makes a lot of sense in some technical ways, even if it’s going to frustrate some customers and users. In a nutshell, here’s what’s happening. Very recently purchased computers will get an automatic update...