Windows 10

Features

Modern security and identity integration is natively built into Windows 10 which allows users to take advantage of features such as Windows Hello, Bitlocker Encryption and Windows Defender. Windows 10 also takes advantage of newer hardware security features to protect passwords and credentials on the device. A lot of this security can also be extended into the cloud to natively integrate conditional access and user logons with Azure AD.

Evolving from previous versions of Windows, Windows 10 introduces new ways to build, deploy and service Windows. It provides extended functionality to simplify the lives of IT pros and maintain a consistent Windows 10 experience for end users. The user interface has been redesigned to provide familiarity to users of previous Windows to reduce the impact of change. Along with enhanced compatibility for older applications, it allows users to migrate to Windows 10 with minimal fuss and risk.

Prior to Windows 10, Microsoft released new versions of Windows every few years. This traditional deployment schedule imposed a training burden on users because the feature revisions were often significant. That schedule also meant waiting long periods without new features — a scenario that doesn’t work in today’s rapidly changing world. Windows 10 utilises Windows as a service to deliver smaller feature updates twice per year, around March and September, to help address these issues.

Although Windows 10 is pre-installed on all new desktop or laptop computers at the time of purchase, a large number of organisations still have older version of Windows in use typically with older hardware. Most organisations also require enterprise features of Windows 10 will generally require the purchase of the correct license.

As Windows 10 is designed for a modern desktop environment, another key challenge in organisations in the current hardware estate. Although Windows 10 is likely to run on older hardware, the operating system will not be able to take advantage of new security features or hardware drivers.

The final aspect to consider in the adoption of Windows 10 is how the operating system will be managed and maintained. Although Microsoft provide frequent security and updates, most organisations will need to consider how this is managed and rolled out to each computer.

Benefits

IT is an ever-evolving landscape and technology is developing at a very rapid pace, which drives change in all organisations. This is an important factor to consider when looking at security - new exploits, hacks and backdoors are discovered daily. Using the latest operating system provides significantly better protection, and coupling that with frequent update and patch management provides even greater protection. Windows 10 provides the opportunity for organisations to run the latest operating system from Microsoft to protect against such threats.

Updating and security becomes a bigger challenge for businesses where users frequently travel or work from home, as a mobile workforce means that there are even more potential security risks. When considering that users not only want to work remotely, but also want to use other services, such as cloud-based apps, Windows 10 provides the flexibility and security to organisations.

Businesses adopting Windows 10 not only benefit from peace of mind from a security aspect, but also gain new security features to protect their organisation. The nature of Windows 10 means it will be ever-evolving, introducing new features twice a year. These incremental updates will benefit users and IT administrators who don’t have to worry about big desktop and operating system roll outs every 4-5 years.

Integration with cloud-based technologies provides Windows 10 users a simplified interface to accessing web and online data. Adding to this, integration with a familiar desktop experience and application compatibility with older apps provides users a seamless and intuitive interface which will reduce training requirements and drive quicker adoption across the business.