Don't overthink it. If you're coming from Windows, go with Linux Mint. It’s the only one that doesn't feel like a constant battle against your own muscle memory. Once you're comfortable, you can jump into Fedora or Arch, but for the first month, you just want your computer to work without a terminal hunt.

Zorin OS is worth a look for this use case specifically. it ships with a Windows-style layout by default and does active application compatibility work. for non-technical users who need it to 'just look right', it removes a lot of the initial confusion. Ubuntu/Mint are both solid but require some UI config to feel familiar. on the management side, Canonical Landscape works across Ubuntu-family distros including Zorin.

Instead of a specific technical answer to your question one thing I would consider if regulatory bodies are involved would be to look for existing hardening documents, scripts, tools from your auditors and see if there is a common pattern for OS choices that easily check all the boxes. Ask your auditors which OS makes audits easier for them and which of the hardening tools cause the least grief, require the least exceptions before looking at technical options. Just a suggestion from someone that may as well have moved in with the auditors for spending so much time with them.

After narrowing it down to 3 choices then present those choices to:

- Your legal team to review licenses before you put much effort into setting up automation frameworks, support tools, installation automation. They can be a buzzkill and I think some may secretly enjoy it.

- The people using that which you plan to administer. Let them play around with each option and get their feedback to maybe have happier group(s) of people to support. Test group 1, test group 2, test group 3. Let them compare and contrast.

Ubuntu. Its great. So much cleaner and userfrienly then Microsoft. Definitely don't need to be a dev to work in Ubuntu anymore. Honestly, I don't know how microsoft is holding its base.

Ubuntu plus Landscape for management:

https://ubuntu.com/landscape

If an organization doesn’t have the wherewithal to secure data with Windows, the problem is a lack of wherewithal. Linux is not a substitute for wherewithal.

And anyway there is no Linux distribution with the look and feel of Windows, nor a distribution that will take full advantage of Dell laptop hardware. Or to put it another way, Excel…

Don’t get me wrong, I use Linux on some of my personal machines and have nothing against it. But Windows is a better choice for most people and most organizations because the Windows ecosystem has lots of documentation, training, system integrators, and consultants. Linux has Archwiki…good luck.

I haven't used it in a while but RedHat used to feel quite a bit like Windows.

Linux Mint

https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=427188

(imho, ymmv, n=1)

Check out Zorin OS. As Win10 was approaching its event horizon back in Oct I was thinking of jumping to ZOS. It is similar enough to Windows to be usable. I never made the jump and still running Win10 but soon it will be Linux's day in the sun.