Jun 18, 2015 - Windows 10, Windows 10 As A Service    Comments Off on Thoughts on Windows 10 As A Service

Thoughts on Windows 10 As A Service

At an event in early 2015, Microsoft announced that the future of the Windows Operating System is going to change from what we know today. What is being commonly referred to as “Winodws 10” will bring a range of new features and a refreshed UI like any other OS upgrade. But, going forward, the Windows OS will simply be known as “Microsoft Windows”.

To this end, Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will be same across each device it runs on (PCs, tablets, and smartphones). In addition, Microsoft has stated they will provide updates and upgrades for the life of that device. This means your OS would always be current, much the way cloud-based SaaS works now.

How will this integrate into existing corporate imaging, licensing, and patching solutions that are already established and vetted today? Time will have to tell. What is also unclear at the moment is how the pricing will change going forward for the Windows OS.

As far as those “life of device” updates, here is what Microsoft has published regarding keeping devices up to date. Their goal is to “keep users current by providing the latest updates as soon they are available in addition to delivering features as soon as they are ready too.”

Microsoft will do this using three types of service branches for Windows 10:


Service Branch

Options

Edition

Current Branch
  • Security Updates, Features and Fixes are automatically applied.
  • There is no option to delay or customize these updates.
  • Windows 10 Home

Current Branch for Business (CBB)
  • CBB includes the requirements of the Current Branch, but also provides the option of customizing when and which Security Updates, Features and Fixes are applied, similar to how Windows Update works today in current versions of Windows.
  • Updates cannot be deferred indefinitely.
  • Windows Updates can be managed using enterprise management tools such as Windows Update for Business and/ WSUS.
  • Windows 10 Pro
  • Windows 10 Enterprise
  • Windows 10 Education

Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB)
  • Only available to volume license customers running Windows 10 Enterprise or Education.
  • Flexible options for managing Windows Updates.
  • Windows Updates can be customized to only accept Security Fixes.
  • Windows Updates can be managed using enterprise management tools such as Windows Update for Business and/ WSUS.
  • Windows 10 Enterprise