Microsoft will reveal ‘the future of hybrid work’ with Windows 11 on April 5th

Within the last year, Microsoft not only revealed a new generation of Windows, it fully dived in by launching Windows 11 last fall, and now it’s scheduled another preview event to discuss the “exciting future” of “Hybrid Work, Powered by Windows.” Set to take place on April 5th at 11AM ET, it will feature Windows exec Panos Panay showing off Microsoft’s security, productivity, and management features, both in the client and the cloud.

What exactly does that include? The event page doesn’t say much and Microsoft hasn’t openly discussed the event, but we’ve seen plenty of clues about the kind of hybrid work solutions and security tools Microsoft is working on for businesses where the “office” is more of an idea than a location. That includes Windows 365 subscriptions for cloud PCs that you access via a web browser, the rollout of its Fluid framework for Microsoft Office apps (now rebranded as Loop), and a detailed vision of the future of meetings with Microsoft Teams.

Last year CEO Satya Nadella wrote that “Hybrid work represents the biggest shift to how we work in our generation. And it will require a new operating model, spanning people, places, and processes.” Naturally, his LinkedIn post included a screenshot of a metaverse meeting filled with oddly rendered avatars, and Nadella has referenced the term repeatedly since then, so it will be interesting to see how much that does or doesn’t come up in the presentation, or if we see more of Microsoft Mesh.