Future of Hybrid Work: Microsoft promotes Windows 11, more security improvements, endpoint manager

Microsoft is holding a Future of Hybrid Work event today, building on the 2022 Work Trend Index announcements they made a few weeks ago. While the future of work may have been already trending toward a hybrid workplace, where workers not only come in to an office but frequently work from home or on the road, the pandemic has greatly accelerated the pace of that adoption. According to Microsoft some 73% of employees want flexible or remote options, and want them as permanent options. Clearly, a hybrid work environment is here to stay.

At the event, Microsoft is promoting Windows 365, a cloud based version of Windows with new easier ways to log in and use, and Windows 11 itself. Taking time to promote a number of features already announced for Windows 11 Insiders, the company is promoting a number of new and upcoming features, including app folders, live captions, improvements for Focus, and touch snap layouts, along with official recognition of Tabs for File Explorer.

Microsoft is taking steps to double down on the heightened security requirements for Windows 11, pointing out upcoming new security enhancements including the Microsoft Pluton security processor, enabling HVCI by default on a broader set of devices, Smart App Control, Credential Guard on by default for Windows 11 Enterprise, Personal Data Encryption, and Config Lock.

Microsoft is also announcing plans for improvements to Microsoft Endpoint Manager, to make it easier for organizations to manage hybrid work with new cloud based Microsoft 365 plan, which will include remote help (available now), and new ways to optimized the digital endpoint experience.

If you were expecting a number of new announcements on long expected Microsoft offerings like the Microsoft Loop app or One Outlook, this apparently is not the event for that. Microsoft is beginning to take the next steps toward selling Windows 11 to the enterprise, and is doing so with increased security, a new focus on hybrid work where workers are just as likely to work from home as from the office, and promotion of some of the features that make Windows 11 stand out from Windows 10