A New Chapter in Computing
As the end-of-life date for Windows 10 approaches (October 1, 2025), many organizations are now contemplating the transition to its successor, Windows 11. While Windows 11 brings a host of exciting features and advancements, it comes with a notable caveat: increased demands on endpoint device hardware.
At a minimum, a Windows 11 device requires a compatible 64-bit processor or system on a chip with two or more cores and speeds of at least 1 GHz. The system also requires at least 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage to install Windows 11, in addition to any storage needed for updates or to enable specific features. Moreover, it is crucial to ensure support for Secure Boot and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip version 2.0. Many older endpoints may not meet these requirements, especially those that were designed and manufactured before these specifications became common.
This situation poses a dilemma for organizations worldwide that are considering the transition to Windows 11 and find their endpoints incompatible with these requirements. IT teams will need to purchase a substantial number of new endpoint devices to facilitate this change company-wide. Beyond the considerable hardware and labor costs involved, sustainability goals, and environmental impact from this hardware refresh will need to be taken into consideration as well.
Embrace Windows 11 without the hardware investment using Stratodesk
If your organization is looking for an affordable, eco-friendly, and practical way to embrace Windows 11, Stratodesk has the ideal solution. Rather than upgrading your local devices to Windows 11, why not take Windows 11 to the cloud? With our innovative approach, you can seamlessly transition to the latest operating system without the hassle of hardware upgrades.
To use Stratodesk’s approach, organizations will upgrade all their desktop hardware to NoTouch OS, a secure, lightweight, fully managed endpoint OS that works on any X86 hardware and has very minimal requirements. This means that not only devices that are not capable of running Windows 11 would be upgraded with NoTouch, basically, but any PC, Laptop, and Thin Client, even older devices running (unsupported) versions of Windows 8 or Windows 7, Win IoT are perfect candidates for an upgrade. NoTouch includes everything that is needed and is the easiest, most cost-effective way to connect to Windows 11 via Windows 365 Cloud PC or Azure Virtual Desktop, or other technologies such as Citrix, VMware, or AWS. Desktop devices become secure, read-only, fully manageable thin workstations no matter where employees are connecting from.
Organizations that already have a VDI environment in place or are already using any kind of DaaS/cloud solution to deploy and scale their Windows desktops have already made this paradigm shift. But when connecting to their desktops and applications in the cloud or the server center with a power-hungry and hard-to-manage PC or laptop running Windows they only get half of the benefits and cost-saving effects of VDI or DaaS/cloud computing.
For these enterprises, it makes sense to skip hardware refresh and lower ongoing operating costs by connecting to Windows 11 on Azure or Windows 365/Cloud PC from a secure and low-energy NoTouch device.
In both situations, the enterprise IT team will undoubtedly value the remarkable flexibility, agility, and user-friendly nature of NoTouch Center. Serving as the centralized management platform for all NoTouch-powered endpoints, it offers lightning-fast deployment, seamless administration, and precise control.
Comparing Hardware Requirements: Windows 11 vs. Stratodesk NoTouch OS
The comparison table below shows the system requirements between Windows 11 and Stratodesk NoTouch OS and highlights the compelling advantages of NoTouch. While Windows 11 places stringent demands on hardware, including a TPM 2.0 chip and other specifications, Stratodesk NoTouch OS runs on nearly any compatible x86 endpoint currently running Windows 10 and earlier.
| System Requirements | Windows 11 | NoTouch |
| Processor | 1 GHz or faster with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or system-on-chip (SoC) | Any x-86 processor or Raspberry Pi |
| RAM | 4 GB or greater | 2 GB minimum |
| Disc Space | At least 64 GB of available storage. | 4 GB minimum*
Live Boot option via PXE boot available |
| Security | TPM version 2.0, UEFI firmware, Secure Boot capable | Secure boot capable UEFI supportedDisk encryptionMinimal attack surface, read-only OS |
*smaller, workspace or solution-specific images might be available
Stratodesk’s standout achievement is the strategic, disruption-free migration from local Windows 10 on the device level to Windows 11 in the cloud while integrating NoTouch OS as a fully managed OS for any existing or new endpoint.
Capitalizing on Compatibility: The Benefits of Stratodesk NoTouch OS for Your Organization
- Cost Reduction: Repurpose existing hardware to mitigate the need for costly hardware refresh cycles, resulting in substantial hardware investment savings.
- Sustainability and Environmental Impact: Reduce endpoint device energy consumption, minimize e-waste, and improve overall sustainability and CO2 footprint.
- Financial Savings: Cut costs associated with hardware procurement, deployment, maintenance, support, software licensing, and energy consumption.
- Reduced Support Time: Drastically reduce endpoint-related support tickets and scale to manage any number of devices.
- Increased Endpoint Security: Fortify endpoint security, as NoTouch OS is based on a secure Linux distribution with a minimal attack surface and read-only attributes.
- Streamlined Updates: No more Windows patching on endpoints—endpoint OS updates will be deployed remotely through NoTouch Center and without any disruptions.
- Support Work From Anywhere: Stratodesk NoTouch supports end users anywhere and on any device. It offers seamless, friction-free access, support for unified communications, and reduced complexity on the endpoint. NoTouch Center, the endpoint management platform, empowers IT teams to manage, control, and monitor their widely dispersed end-user devices, all without ever physically touching the device.
- Avoid the Vendor Lock-In: Stratodesk NoTouch is hardware and platform-agnostic. NoTouch OS works on any X86 hardware and supports all major VDI, DaaS, and cloud workspaces.
- Big Technology Partner Network: Stratodesk partners with a wide range of solution partners to fully integrate their solutions into NoTouch.
Conclusion: Navigating the Future with Confidence
Through the implementation of Stratodesk NoTouch OS, organizations worldwide have experienced significant cost savings. By eliminating the need for Windows 11 on endpoint devices, businesses can defer hardware investments for an extended period, allowing them to allocate their team budget towards other crucial priorities.
With Stratodesk, your organization can seamlessly transition to Windows 11 in the cloud, bypassing the high costs associated with purchasing new hardware and minimizing disruptions to employee workflow.
By partnering with Stratodesk, you can ensure that your hardware remains future-proof, while also benefiting from the support of NoTouch OS for Data Center VDI, Hosted Apps, and Cloud Based Desktops and Services.
Experience the power of Stratodesk NoTouch with a free trial today or schedule a personalized demo led by our experts.
