Windows 10 Awakens a Sleeping GiantWindows 10 has been referred to as the new Windows, a Windows as a service, and all the good, the bad and the ugly that entails. With this summer's release of the consumer version of Windows 10, there were numerous reviews about the glories of the new operating system and an equal number of posts about potential issues. Fully-featured Threshold 2 (TH2), slated for release 1Q 2016, will no doubt include the infamous Service Pack 1 and be more ready for enterprise users.Microsoft users will agree that Windows 10 is light years ahead of Windows 8. It boots and performs faster, and includes mouse, keyboard and touch controls. The Windows 10 Start menu is a sleeker version of the Windows 7 Start menu and gone are some of the features that helped Windows 8 fall flat, like the Charm bar and left-side task switching. Digging a bit deeper, though, and without further ado, here's a roundup of some of the new/old/missing/and-more-to-come features.Wi-Fi SenseWi-Fi Sense is a new desktop feature that connects devices to trusted Wi-Fi hotspots. No passwords are revealed and it can be a hassle-free way for friends or visitors to use your network on the fly. But there is a flip side: Wi-Fi Sense also shares your Outlook address book, Skype contacts, and Facebook friends. Unless you are the host/ess with the mostest, it's recommend to leave Wi-Fi Sense settings off.CortanaMicrosoft debuts voice activated Cortana, their version of Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa and Google Now. As a virtual assistant, she can remind you of calendar dates and appointments, search the web, get directions... all the voice commands you've used on phablets (phones and tablets) are now available on your desktop.EdgeEdge is the latest Microsoft Internet browser with more speed and tighter security. Intended to replace Internet Explorer at some point in time, it's not fully ready for primetime as of this writing. While it is integrated with Cortana and OneNote, many other regular features and support for extensions are not currently available.Entertainment and GamingAny music or video files on your computer can be found in Movies & TV (formerly Xbox Video) and Groove Music (formerly Xbox Music). If you're a gamer, you can stream any activity from Xbox One to a Windows 10 device. The experience is somewhat dependent on your connectivity, so both your Xbox console and PC need be connected to your network.Universal AppsMail, Calendar, Skype, People, Photos, OneNote, Grove Music, Movies & TV, the News, Money, Weather... the capabilities run the gamut from great to not so great. Microsoft has been working to make your app experience seamless between devices, but they aren't there yet.OneDriveChanged a bit from Windows 8 implementation, OneDrive is installed by default but no longer automatically syncs files between the cloud and your PC. The Windows 10 sync client will enable you to set where your OneDrive folder is stored on your PC and choose which folders to sync. But gone is the ability to open a file not on your PC and have the system automatically download and sync it to your local computer.You can share a file directly from OneDrive with a right-click within Windows Explorer. The "Share a OneDrive link" was previously available on the web, but now provides the same convenience locally on your PC.SecurityMicrosoft has addressed modern security threats with advancements that move the world away from single-factor authentication options, like passwords. These advancements will require users to change the way they handle authentication and access. From an enterprise, system-level point of view, business critical communications and data will be identified, monitored and protected by new data protection features.Aside from some updates to current security features (Windows Defender, SmartScreen, Family Safety), Microsoft 10 will eventually ship with Windows Hello and Microsoft Passport, Enterprise Data Protection (EDP), Windows Credential Guard, and Device Guard.Azure Active DirectoryAzure Active Directory (Azure AD) is a cloud-based directory and identity management service for single sign-on access to software-as-a-service apps like Office 365, Salesforce.com, Dropbox, and more. Azure AD integration will reduce the amount of passwords and allow users to work seamlessly on PCs, tables or phones.Deployment and UpdatesWith Windows 10, Microsoft has implemented a new patching infrastructure. Current Branch (CB), Current Branch for Business (CBB) and Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB) now define how updates are deployed.For Window 10 Home users, CB is your only choice. That means that home users will receive new features, fixes, security updates, and anything else Microsoft pushes to them via update without delay or deferral.Windows 10 Professional users will be able to choose between CB and CBB. The latter provides options for Pro users when applying new features and updates from Microsoft.Choosing Enterprise over Pro makes use of LTSB. This is the most flexible branch of all and allows IT administrators to manage updates via Windows Update for Business or Windows Service Update Services (WSUS). Enterprise users will continue to have the option to push immediate updates to some and the right to delay the delivery of new features to others.More to ComeFeatures like Continuum (the feature that switches users between touchscreen and mouse mode) and Windows Hello (face, finger and retina log-on) are not yet functional. These improvements require hardware and driver technology that will arrive with the next generations of devices.ConclusionWindows 10 is what Windows 8 should have been. It is a more secure, stable, power-saving Windows OS, with much of the Windows 7 interface fully integrated.If it isn't broken, don't fix it! That's the larger concern for businesses when considering an upgrade to in-place OS software. When systems and networks are working, IT is not keen to upgrade without serious benefit. While Microsoft believes that every new version of their products is a vast improvement over their previous systems, companies may not want to go through a pilot program or upgrade unless it is absolutely necessary.When Windows 10 (Home) launched in July, the OS soared to the number three position within the surveyed user base. Only Windows 7 and 8 had larger installs, but their numbers were dropping. In August, Microsoft said there had been just 1.5 million installs of their newly released Windows 10 Enterprise. The number is low but not surprising. Enterprise users generally don't upgrade their existing hardware but wait to buy new hardware with the new OS installed on it.For home users running Windows 7 or 8, you've got little to lose and a bit to gain. Enterprise Windows users would benefit to wait for the full-featured release of Threshold 2. Although Windows 10 is clearly the way of the future, a transition from operating system to ecosystem, with a more secure OS, ease-of-use and voice commands, key apps aren't ready yet. As an enterprise user, carefully consider some of the newer and anticipated features against your corporate needs.
