According to Microsoft, companies don’t have to buy the very latest PCs every year. The software giant would rather you use the cloud version of Windows.

Yes, you read that right: Microsoft wants companies to stop buying new computers. The company, which dominates the PC market with Windows, publishes a paper advising companies to switch to Windows 365 Cloud PC. With the study, Microsoft is responding to a topic that concerns many companies today: sustainability.

Good for the climate

The paper elaborates three arguments showing that the cloud version of Windows has a positive impact on sustainability. First and foremost, Windows 365 reduces the energy consumption of corporate IT equipment. Since Windows is used through a browser and does not need to be installed on the device itself, it also works on many “lighter” devices.

This allows organizations to more quickly replace their bulky, energy-guzzling desktops with more energy-efficient laptops and tablets like Microsoft’s Surface devices. Company-sponsored studies always involve a bit of marketing… Microsoft also advocates that cloud PCs have a longer lifespan than on-premises devices. Companies would only need to replace their devices every eight years, while the average today is every three years.

The cloud version of Windows also has an indirect positive effect on the climate. Windows Cloud PC supports a Bring your own devicePolicy that allows employees to choose one device for personal and work use. This ensures that fewer devices need to be manufactured, reducing emissions in factories, and it also encourages working from home, which in turn reduces emissions associated with travel.

Microsoft certainly makes some good points in the paper, but the company is also in a commercial position to make them. Finally, users with a cloud subscription ensure a more consistent income than users who purchase a one-time license every few years. Microsoft would therefore also benefit economically if users adopted Windows 365 en masse.

At the frontline

To attract more businesses to the cloud, Microsoft recently introduced Frontline Licensing, which allows three users to share a license between themselves. This formula is mainly aimed at teams that work in shifts. Microsoft’s sustainability promises are not empty words either. Windows 11 2022 Update added a new feature that allows automatic updates to be postponed until a device is connected to a sustainable energy source.

However, PC and chip manufacturers will not be too happy about this call from Microsoft. After all, they make a living from companies buying the latest and greatest devices every year. The industry is going through a rough patch right now, but hopes for improvement in 2024 when Microsoft starts to bid farewell to Windows 10 and consumers and businesses alike will need to look for Windows 11-compatible PCs. Right now, Microsoft is telling them to buy fewer devices.