Time for a PC upgrade? Major study finds workplace devices are way behind on installing the latest updates — with Windows much worse than macOS

• Outdated devices increase instability and put enterprise security at serious risk
• Windows and Mac laptops face uneven update adoption across global organizations
• Application crashes and forced shutdowns disrupt employee workflows and productivity

Many workplace devices are running outdated software, leaving enterprises exposed to stability issues and security gaps that can disrupt workflows.

New data from Omnissa found update adoption differs across platforms, and delayed patching often causes inconsistent performance across mixed fleets of business laptops and desktops.

The research reveals that enterprises often consider Macs a six-year asset, while Windows PCs tend to be replaced after about three years.

Device lifecycle differences emerge

The data identifies clear differences in stability between operating systems used in enterprise settings - namely, Windows devices recorded 3.1 times more forced shutdowns and 2.2 times more application crashes compared with macOS systems.

In addition, Windows environments experienced 7.5 times more application hangs, increasing the likelihood of repeated workflow interruptions.

These disruptions have a measurable impact, with employees requiring nearly 24 minutes to refocus after each interruption.

Such disparities reinforce the need for granular telemetry data to guide device acquisition decisions and ensure business laptops align with employee requirements.

Delays in applying updates also affect endpoint protection across organizations, potentially influencing decisions to upgrade.

The study found that more than 50% of education desktops and mobile devices remain unencrypted, while patching gaps persist in healthcare and pharmaceutical environments.

These conditions indicate that outdated systems are not only less stable but also less secure, particularly in sectors with strict compliance requirements.

The rapid adoption of AI tools is adding further strain to already outdated systems, as their usage increased by nearly 1000% over the past year, introducing more demanding workloads into enterprise environments.

These workloads rely on stable, updated systems to function effectively, meaning older devices are more likely to experience performance issues and instability.

“The central question becomes how you 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.

“Converging 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 really occurring.”

The combination of delayed updates, varying failure rates across platforms, and increasing workload demands is placing additional pressure on enterprise devices.

Most organizations operate a mix of aging systems and newer deployments, with inconsistent maintenance across both 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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