- Outdated devices increase instability and put business security at serious risk
- Windows and Mac laptops face uneven update adoption across global organizations
- Application crashes and hard shutdowns disrupt employee workflows and productivity
Many workplace devices run outdated software, leaving businesses exposed to stability issues and security gaps that can disrupt workflows.
New data from Omnissa found that update adoption differs across platforms, with delayed patching often causing inconsistent performance across mixed enterprise laptop and desktop fleets.
Research reveals that companies often consider Macs to be a six-year asset, while Windows PCs tend to be replaced after about three years.
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Differences arise in the life cycle of the device
The data identifies clear differences in stability between operating systems used in enterprise environments: that is, Windows devices reported 3.1 times more forced shutdowns and 2.2 times more application crashes compared to macOS systems.
Additionally, Windows environments experienced 7.5 times more application crashes, increasing the likelihood of repeated workflow interruptions.
These interruptions have a measurable impact: employees need almost 24 minutes to refocus after each interruption.
These disparities reinforce the need for granular telemetry data to guide device purchasing decisions and ensure enterprise laptops fit employee requirements.
Delays in applying updates also impact endpoint protection across organizations, potentially influencing update decisions.
The study found that more than 50% of educational desktop computers and mobile devices remain unencrypted, while patching gaps persist in healthcare and pharmaceutical settings.
These conditions indicate that outdated systems are not only less stable but also less secure, particularly in sectors with strict compliance requirements.
The rapid adoption of AI tools is adding more pressure to already outdated systems, as their use increased almost 1,000% over the past year, introducing more demanding workloads into enterprise environments.
These workloads rely on stable, up-to-date systems to function effectively, meaning older devices are more likely to experience performance issues and instability.
“The central question is how to close blind spots fast enough to keep pace with AI, platform diversity and distributed work,” said Hemant Sahani, vice president of product management at Omnissa.
“The convergence of DEX, security and management telemetry provides essential context that helps teams close the gap between what they assume about the workspace and what telemetry shows is actually happening.”
The combination of delayed updates, different failure rates between platforms, and increasing workload demands is putting additional pressure on enterprise devices.
Most organizations operate a mix of older systems and newer implementations, with inconsistent maintenance across Windows and macOS environments.
But as AI tools become more common in daily workflows, the limitations of outdated devices may become more visible and it may be time to upgrade.
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