Category Microsoft

Your enterprise wants an upgrade to Windows 10? Don’t hesitate to contact us today!

If you have Volume Licensing with active Software Assurance, you can upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise for free from August 1^st.  Windows 10 guarantees better security and mobile device management. It is a flexible, unique OS that runs on all your devices, from PC to tablets and phones, even on the Xbox One.

Many disliked features from Windows 8 were changed and improved; the Start menu you remember from previous Windows versions has been reintroduced. Modernized UI will surely bring refreshment to your devices. Also, Windows 10 allows you to modify the appearance of the OS with various themes.

The second big novelty is Cortana – a digital assistant that improves your productiveness. Cortana can write your email via voice dictation, works as your notification alarm when you have an appointment in your calendar, she can open an application by using your voice command, etc.

Windows 10 comes with a new quick browser – Edge. The main difference compared to other browsers is its speed; there’s also integration with Cortana – a very helpful feature that changes your way of internet browsing.

Updates with new features will arrive more often than in previous Windows versions, this is called Windows as a Service – a new model for servicing the OS.

The upgrade to Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro for non-Enterprise customers is free until July 29, 2016. Of course, only for Windows 7 and 8.1 users.

Check out our previous Windows 10 blog posts:

Windows 10 – One OS To Rule Them All

Windows 10 Upgrade Details for Business Users

According to the latest information, Windows 10 as a Service will bring updates via three different branches: CB – Current Branch, CBB – Current Branch for Business, and LTSB – Long Term Servicing Branch.

Windows 10 Enterprise users will be able to choose between CBB and LTSB. This option will give business customers a choice that will improve the update experience based on their requirements.

CBB or LTSB?

If you want to be up-to-date, you should choose the CBB branch, which will automatically download new features on PCs that are connected to Windows Update, as well as security patches.

LTSB is an option only for Windows 10 Enterprise users, and it will delay new features delivery for up to 10 years – users will be able to skip updates.  Computers on the LTSB will receive only security patches and critical hotfixes.

In addition, Windows 10 Enterprise users on the LTSB branch will not get the Edge on their PCs – the new default internet browser. The main reason is that new features and feature updates for Edge will come out on a regular basis.

Windows 10 upgrade

Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 users are eligible for free upgrade to Windows 10 for one year, starting on July 29, 2015.

The hardware requirements for Windows 10 are the same as for Windows 7.

Don’t hesitate and contact us for additional information about the upgrade.

Only Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1 Update will be able upgrade to Windows 10 through the Windows Update service. Users with older editions will have to install the upgrade from a USB drive or DVD media, loaded with a disk image downloaded from Microsoft’s servers. It will not be possible to upgrade retired versions like Windows XP; Windows Vista will also not be upgradeable.

Windows 10 will use less storage space on your computer. Microsoft revealed information about a new compression algorithm for compressing system files that saves ~1.5 GB of storage for 32-bit and ~2.6 GB of storage for 64-bit Windows.

Also, a new build of Windows 10, 10049, is available at this time. With this release comes the new, awaited Project Spartan web browser.

You can download the Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 10049 here.

Skype Rooms

Last week Microsoft rebranded Lync into Skype for Business. It was announced that Video Conferencing Solutions – Skype Rooms – will be provided by Polycom. The new series of video collaboration solutions is called Polycom RoundTable®; an affordable and easy-to-use video solution for small and midsized businesses and teams, including voice, video and content collaboration.

Skype and Office 365

Skype for Business will be fully functional in the Cloud. Microsoft is partnering with big telecommunications companies in order to make this possible. Their plan is to integrate Enterprise Voice into Office 365, so that Customers will be able to call people on any phone.

Skype for Business is coming in April and it will be available to Office 365 customers, as well as for on-premises deployments. You’ll be able to connect with your colleagues and with anyone who has a Skype account.

The exact date has not been specified yet, but it was officially announced that Windows 10 will be out this summer in 190 countries and 111 languages and it will be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users for one year after the operating system launches.

So, it will be launched sooner than expected.

Windows 10 will also be available for smartphones and the Xbox One. It will include Windows Hello biometric authentication – providing instant access to your devices. You’ll be able to unlock your devices with your face, fingerprint and iris scan, instead of a password.

For now, you can download the Windows 10 Technical Preview build 10041 here.

Read more about Windows 10 features on our previous blog post ‘Windows 10 – One OS to Rule Them All’.