Yesterday, Microsoft released the first major update to Windows 10. The update is taking on a new version naming system and is known as Windows 10 version 1511 (as in November, 2015). The update, comparable to previous Service Packs, focus on improving performance, Cortana, Edge, and other apps.
As of now, Windows 10 Threshold 2 has not resulted in a new iso being released to the Microsoft Volume Licensing Center. Other components of the update are aimed at Enterprises though. Two new services are finally being released. Windows Update for Business and Windows Store for Business were talked about early on in the Windows 10 announcementse and surprised many when they were not initially available in Windows 10. With yesterday’s release, those features are now available.
- Windows Update for Business provides IT controls over the deployment of updates within their organizations, while ensuring their devices are kept current and their security needs are met, at reduced management cost. Features include setting up device groups with staggered deployments and scaling deployments with network optimizations.
- Windows Store for Business provides IT a flexible way to find, acquire, manage and distribute apps to Windows 10 devices – both Windows Store apps and custom line of business apps. Organizations can choose their preferred distribution method by directly assigning apps, publishing apps to a private store, or connecting with management solutions.
The update also include Mobile Device Management capabilities and Azure Active Directory Join along with security features Credential Guard, Device Guard, Windows Hello, and Windows Defender.
Lately, we have been getting more marketing/executive-level details and fewer technical documents that clearly explain options and configuration. (I’m still looking for a good technical explanation of Windows Update Delivery Optimization to see if I should enable it in my organization.) With this update, new documentation has been provided on TechNet and it finally starts providing some good level of detail instead of having to stumble in blind to a deployment.
The TechNet Library for Windows 10 starts here: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn986868(v=vs.85).aspx
From there, you may drill down into new topics, deployment, security, and management/updating Windows 10. It is worth reading through the articles. For example, you can find articles explaining Windows Update for Business or creating validation groups for deployments. You can also find using Group Policy to configure your telemetry settings with options as Security only, Basic, Enhanced, or full.
There are many more articles worth reading to understand Microsoft’s latest OS and managing your organization as best as possible.