Windows 10 is looking to be the most user friendly version of the operating system ever. The consumer version of Windows 10 has been out a week or so and has been very well received. After extensive Windows Insider testing and much wider public beta testing, the release version of the OS is out into the wild.
According to news reports, over 14 million versions of Windows 10 had been installed live within the first 24 hours. With Windows 10 Enterprise having been released on 1st August, let us see what it offers…
High points of Windows 10 for business
Firstly, Windows 10 is going a long way to overcome the shortcomings of Windows 8. The overall look and feel of the OS is cleaner, leaner and much more intuitive. It is also simpler to use and has everything at hand, or at least, only a click or two away. More importantly, Live Tiles are gone and the Start Menu has made a very welcome return.
Internet Explorer has also gone with Edge making its debut as the replacement. A supposedly more secure and certainly better looking browser is still being evaluated, but initial impressions are positive.
Security and management has also improved. Identity management is now are the core of Active Directory and Azure which will work with Office 365 and the Windows Store. The inclusion of biometric authentication, two-step authentication and Device Guard are all expected to improve security too.
Mobile Device Management has also had attention with Enterprise Data Protection policy support, multiple user support, VPN configuration and remote wipe. The universal app model will also benefit business as it will allow many device types to interact without the compatibility issues of previous versions.
Finally and perhaps the biggest change for business is incremental updates. According to Microsoft, Windows 10 is the final operating system they will release. This impacts both the future physical demands of upgrading enterprise infrastructures and the cost of doing so.
One word of advice for businesses looking to upgrade would be to wait for patches before jumping in. Microsoft have already released one and will be more. Get some professional input before you take the plunge just to ensure your systems stay uncompromised.
