English | EN Microsoft Branch Revolution
Jun 29, 2016
Achieving some Windows 10 migrations, Sogeti Luxembourg is glad to announce its customers it tastes like a piece of cake (compared to Windows7 ghost train). Sounds good to you? Sorry to inform that your Yepaaaa! won’t last. The reason? Microsoft Branch Revolution.
Some months ago, I shared with you 3 things to keep in mind for enterprises about Windows 10 migrations. And even if this new OS brings a myriad of new features, it remains a Workplace project with it’s so classical concerns: mobility, security, ergonomic and collaboration.
Remember Windows 10 will be your last real & global migration project. Microsoft introduced a new concept: Upgrades.
From now, Microsoft pushes new features on a regular basis.
Don’t be mistaken by Updates which remain
(the 2nd Tuesday of each month)
and fix bugs and security vulnerabilities.
After a global survey, Microsoft went through 42% of its customers’ strongest request: no more bid deployment. So, they created a new Upgrade program. The kernel of your OS is indeed upgraded all the time. Meaning that your computer will be continuously migrated in a certain sense. You’ll get new features and new environment all the time.
Preoccupied by business continuity and the impact of such frequent changes, Microsoft has set up 3 different branches. Understand 3 different upgrade-run rhythms: CB, CBB and LTSB. I won’t go deep into each of them (just google these acronym and you’ll get all the details). Just keep in mind the following statement:
The Branch you choose will have a big impact on your business, your internal IT service management and your licensing bill. And you know what? You can’t elude the question.
You must choose between
- Current Branch – MS gives the beat: Ongoing Automatic upgrades
- Current Branch for Business – Slowing down the beat: Upgrades can be postponed up to 8 months before mandatory application
- Long Term Service Branch – You give the tempo: No automatic upgrade application / Massive migration to envisage for future
Moving from LTSB (the slowest upgrade program) to a higher Branch (CBB or even CB) can be done easily and seamlessly. On the other hand, if a company feels too overflowed by these frequent upgrades and wants to go slower (let say from CBB to LTSB) the only way to go is to operate a massive Windows migration from Windows 10 to… Windows 10. You have correctly read. There’s no typing mistake.
Everybody will migrate to Windows 10 for sure. Everybody. This being said, even if in the past Windows migrations used to bring its technical issues (compatibility, packaging…), today with this revolutionary Upgrade concept, CIO will be more facing out strategical issues. And the first one will be the Branch choice. Next, upgrade application strategy. Then Devices, Windows lifecycle, BYOD…
You have called Workplace Experts, please hold on. You will shortly be answering…
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