Unless you live under a rock you have already heard about Windows 10. With one year of deployments complete, I wanted to share some lessons learned from helping our customers plan for and migrate to the new operating system. This is not just another update from Microsoft, but a true giant leap for OS-kind, PC users and the PC device market. It’s also a huge leap – in a good way – for IT managers, many of whom are still probably scratching their heads over Windows 8.
As the recent winner of six awards from Microsoft, including being the newly minted worldwide Windows 10 Deployment Partner of the Year, we feel especially qualified to demystify the myths circling Win 10.
- Myth 1: “This is just another long upgrade cycle” – With “Windows as a Service” (WaaS), the days of long upgrade or improvement cycles are over. When new features or updates are needed, Microsoft will push them through their two planned annual updates. This will help eliminate the cost spike and large migration process that once overloaded IT departments. All that is needed now is regular planning and management of this process. Dell can help customers plan and prepare for this new environment. You can read more about WaaS here.
- Myth 2: “Collaboration is complicated” – Windows 10 enables business users to collaborate no matter where they are and on any device they chose. There are three key components – Universal Apps that allow almost any device access to business critical data; the Office 365 productivity app powerhouse, Skype for Business, for communication and real time collaboration, and OneDrive which enables individual group access to cloud storage and key data used in everyday collaboration. And it does all of this more securely than ever before.
- Myth 3: “Imaging and configuring Win 10 is hard” – While in the past imaging and configuring systems was a labor intensive process, now with the Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer (WICD) it’s a much simpler process because it leverages the operating system load and drivers that the OEM has already installed. This creates a smaller image and streamlines the process. Our Connected Configuration services then lets you integrate all your apps and tools in the manufacturing process so systems can go directly to users fully imaged, configured and ready to go, right out of the box.
I admit, as a Dell employee, I’m a bit biased. But to be fair, I have a lot of experience as a 20-year veteran of the tech industry and someone who has been both a Mac user and PC enthusiast. The PC world has become unnecessarily complicated with cost cutting increasing complexity for the end user. Dell is passionate about driving out this complexity and it’s not through a one-size-fits-all approach that ignores the demands of end users. When you deliver a more personalized experience, you free your users to become more productive, creative and innovative, which is how you grow your business and win in the marketplace. And this focus is clearly appreciated by our customers – we have a 95% customer satisfaction rating for our Configuration Services.
We at Dell work collaboratively with Microsoft to help customers take full advantage of the transition to Windows 10 and other Microsoft technologies to maximize the benefits of new features and capabilities. After all, we were recognized by Microsoft’s Enterprise Partner Group (EPG) as the global Windows 10 Deployment Partner of the Year! This honor was one of six we received at their 2016 Worldwide Partner Conference in July that recognized Dell’s services capabilities in helping customers adopt and deploy Microsoft technologies:
Global Awards
- Windows 10 Deployment Partner of the Year
- Microsoft Dynamics President’s Club
US Awards
- Enterprise Partner Group – Partner of the Year
- EPG East Region Alliance Partner of the Year
- EPG West Region Alliance Partner of the Year
- Windows Accelerate Partner of the Year
So, if you have need of an expert point of view and help planning and implementing your transition to Windows 10 you can’t do better than consulting with the award-winning Dell team. IT Managers out there – tell us about your experiences with Win 10. If you haven’t made the transition, what is holding you back?