Get The Latest Tech With Microsoft Managed Desktop’s Three Year Refresh Cycle

Microsoft Managed Desktop is a very modern cloud-based desktop managing platform. It comes with Microsoft 365 Enterprise which combines Windows 10 Enterprise, Office 365, and Enterprise Mobility+Security.

To guarantee that clients receive the very best service, this platform can only be available to devices that meet certain minimum requirements. What this entails is that when clients sign up for this service, they may need to first upgrade their hardware and this is something that will need to be done every couple of years.

Why you should upgrade

As the years go by, you will start to face more and more problems with your devices. You will find yourself having to constantly call a technician to attend to the problems that keep popping up. One of the most frustrating issues you will face is a slowing down CPU. As the unit gets older the data that flows through it may start to do so at a far slower rate thus affecting your workflow.

Another thing that may slow you down is the hard drive itself. Older hard drives may eventually get slower because they don’t have the extremely fast access speeds that modern hard drives possess. Modern devices also come with a significant amount of RAM. What this allows is to increase the speed and efficiency of a device as well as permitting complicated operations to be carried with relative ease. Another advantage that a new device will have is a modern motherboard. This will carry the latest components available adding to the overall efficiency of the device. 

Three-year refresh cycle

When exactly should you opt to upgrade a device? Opinions will differ slightly but Microsoft Managed Desktop has gone for a three-year refresh cycle. This enables them to keep devices under MMD management for a period of three years before they fall out of compliance. This three-year cycle also means that as the MMD platform continues to evolve, the hardware on which it is enrolled will also be able to keep up with the demands placed upon it.

MMD product lifecycle

MMD being a very modern platform that is constantly evolving and improving means that it requires its clients to use devices that are capable of delivering optimum performance, reliability, design, and security capabilities. All approved products are kept on the catalog for 24 months but devices can remain under management for up to three years depending on enrollment dates.

Product release and evaluation

The lifecycle of a product begins after its release by the manufacturer. The MMD engineering team then proceeds to do an evaluation and certification process, where they will check performance, reliability, and compliance with a hardware baseline among other things. To ensure that MMD only sticks to the latest devices, the team will only evaluate products within the first six months of their availability.

Product primary availability period

Devices enrolled during this period will have the benefit of the full three years of support from Microsoft Managed Desktop. This period is set to last until an end date that is twenty-four months from the general availability date. This period is basically open enrollment and in order to take full advantage of MMD, procurement models and selected products should fall within this period. Something to avoid is settling on a two-year roll-out period for a product that is its last month of primary availability because most of those products will unfortunately not receive the full three years of MMD management.                                                                                        

Product grace period

This refers to a three-year period following primary availability. In this phase, devices from a supported product family can be still enrolled if hardware and device performance are up to scratch. Approved devices bought before signing up with Microsoft Managed Desktop can still be enrolled though they will not receive the full three years of management. These devices are not compliant with the retirement date, however, MMD will handle these devices as though they were enrolled on the last day of primary availability.

Product retirement

In this last part of the lifecycle, no new devices of that product type can be enrolled in MMD and all existing devices are now outside of their allowed three-year term. During this phase, the device will be removed from the public list and you will start to notice reduced services as Microsoft Managed Desktop takes action against devices that are out of compliance.

Devices that are out of compliance

A device falls out of compliance when the window in which it can be managed under MMD has elapsed. This happens when its three years of MMD management are up or when it has been removed from the catalog, whichever comes first. To avoid inconveniences, MMD advises setting up your procurement cycles such that new devices are deployed before the current ones go out of compliance.

To facilitate the process, the MMD team provides a website with essential information on your devices such as the retirement date and a status regarding its compliance. All of this allows enterprises to have all the necessary information they will need in order to plan accordingly.  

Optimizing performance

There are a few things that can be as frustrating as trying to work on a device that is slow, keeps crashing, or has any number of other issues. Microsoft Managed Desktop's three-year refresh cycle is meant to prevent just such problems. Working on devices that have the latest hardware components will allow you to work efficiently and optimize productivity.

With MMD being a very modern technology, it requires devices that meet certain requirements for it to perform to capacity. All in all, modern devices and MMD will combine to give you a stress-free and smooth working environment where all your desktop problems are under the management of dedicated Microsoft engineers.