AI is changing what businesses expect from their computers. As copilots and agentic AI tools become part of everyday work, organizations will need PCs with the processing power, memory and local resources to keep up.
That creates an enormous opportunity—but first, businesses need a practical way to move employees from their current PCs to the AI-ready devices they will need next.
We’ve Seen a Technology Shift Like This Before
For those of us who remember the early days of the commercial internet, what is happening with AI feels familiar.
In the early 1990s, many businesses treated internet access as something interesting but optional. Employees might dial into a bulletin board to download a file or driver. Within a few years, that was no longer good enough. Every serious business needed dependable, high-speed connectivity to operate and compete.
Agentic AI is approaching a similar turning point.
Today, many organizations are still experimenting with AI. They are testing copilots, assistants and automated workflows. But experimentation will quickly become adoption as businesses discover that these tools can help employees work faster, make better use of information and complete tasks that once required hours of manual effort.
The question will no longer be whether a business should use AI. The question will be whether its technology can support the AI tools its employees increasingly depend on.
Why Will Businesses Need AI-Ready PCs?
Many AI models reside in the cloud, but the local PC still matters.
The employee’s device must manage applications, data and local processing while communicating with cloud-based AI services. Newer AI PCs may also include dedicated neural processing units, or NPUs, that allow supported AI workloads to run more efficiently on the device.
As these tools become more capable, older PCs may become a productivity bottleneck. Employees will expect more memory, faster processors and greater overall computing capability.
I believe we will see this demand grow significantly over the next six to eighteen months. Larger organizations may move first, while smaller businesses initially lag behind. But the same requirements will eventually reach organizations of every size.
Businesses will need PCs equipped not only for today’s operating systems and applications, but also for the more demanding AI workloads that are coming next.
A New PC Is Only Useful When the Employee Can Use It
Buying a new AI-ready PC is the easy part.
The real challenge is moving the employee’s working environment to it. That can include applications, files, user profiles, Windows settings and other information accumulated over years of daily work.
A new PC may be faster and more capable, but it is not productive if the employee cannot find an important file, access an application or work with familiar settings. When IT teams rebuild every PC manually, a hardware refresh can consume hours per user and generate avoidable help-desk calls afterward.
At Laplink, we have been solving this problem for more than 40 years.
PCmover automatically transfers selected applications, files, settings and user profiles from an old Windows PC to a new one. It helps preserve the user’s working environment while reducing the repetitive work involved in preparing replacement devices.
That becomes increasingly important when an organization is not replacing one PC, but hundreds or thousands of them.
Choosing the Right PCmover Option
Different organizations have different migration requirements, so Laplink offers licensing options for defined projects, recurring migrations and larger deployment programs.
PCmover Business
PCmover Business is designed for small businesses with straightforward PC-migration requirements.
A business with a known number of PCs to replace can purchase multi-license packs for that project. Organizations and service providers with recurring or variable demand can instead use the PCmover Business Technician License, selecting a usage tier appropriate for their monthly migration activity.
This gives businesses the flexibility to choose between purchasing licenses for a defined refresh and supporting migrations as an ongoing service. Current options are available on the PCmover Business website.
PCmover Enterprise
PCmover Enterprise is our most capable option for larger organizations, IT departments and managed service providers that need to standardize and automate migrations.
It supports customizable migration policies, scripting, centralized configuration, low-touch and zero-touch workflows, distributed users, and integration with broader endpoint-deployment processes.
Organizations can choose a Volume Licensing Agreement for a planned number of migrations or an Annual Site License for ongoing activity across a 12-month period.
PCmover is the only PC-migration solution recommended by Microsoft and Intel. Intel has also worked with Laplink on a solution designed to help organizations automate PC refreshes, support distributed employees and prepare for the transition to AI-ready devices. Learn more about PCmover Enterprise or read the Intel solution brief.
MSPs Are Sitting on a Significant Opportunity
The AI PC transition will not happen all at once.
Businesses will need help evaluating their hardware, identifying which users should be upgraded first, moving employees to new devices and introducing AI tools that produce measurable business outcomes.
That puts MSPs in an important position.
In the past, a service provider might have focused primarily on selling and supporting technology. Increasingly, customers will expect providers to help them achieve outcomes: better productivity, more efficient workflows, reduced downtime and a stronger return on their technology investments.
MSPs that can combine hardware planning, AI readiness and repeatable PC migration will be able to offer a valuable new service to their customers.
I believe MSPs are sitting on a gold mine. They can help clients upgrade their hardware and implement agentic AI to work faster, smarter and more efficiently—and that opportunity is coming fast.
PCmover Enterprise gives service providers a way to make the migration component of that work more consistent and scalable.
Start Planning Before Existing PCs Become the Problem
Businesses do not need to replace every computer immediately. They do need a plan.
Start by identifying the employees and workloads most likely to benefit from AI-ready hardware. Review the applications, files, profiles and settings that must move with each user. Test the migration process with a representative group before beginning a larger rollout.
Most importantly, do not treat hardware purchasing and user migration as separate projects. The goal is not simply to deliver a new computer. The goal is to give the employee a more capable computer that is ready to use.
AI tools are developing quickly. The organizations that prepare now will be in a better position to adopt them without allowing outdated hardware or an inefficient migration process to slow them down.
We have seen this kind of transition before. Businesses that moved early enough to embrace the internet gained an advantage. Those that waited eventually had to catch up.
AI-ready PCs will be no different.
Ready to plan your next PC refresh? Explore PCmover Business or PCmover Enterprise.
Quick Answers About AI-Ready PC Migration
What is an AI-ready PC?
An AI-ready PC is a computer equipped to support modern AI workloads. Depending on the device and application, it may include more memory, a faster processor, improved graphics capabilities or a dedicated neural processing unit.
How does PCmover help with an AI PC upgrade?
PCmover transfers selected applications, files, settings and user profiles from an old Windows PC to a new one, reducing the manual work and disruption associated with replacing employee devices.
Which PCmover edition is best for an organization?
PCmover Business supports straightforward and recurring migration needs. PCmover Enterprise is designed for MSPs and organizations requiring migration policies, automation, centralized control or larger-scale deployments.
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