Making the shift to a modern desktop with Microsoft 365

A modern desktop is Windows 10 and Office 365, kept up to date. Making the shift to a modern desktop helps you to foster a highly secure workspace, empowered by the latest productivity, teamwork and collaboration experiences for your organization. As an IT Admin, making the shift also removes much of the pain of keeping your desktop environment secure with built-in endpoint protection and easier access to the latest security updates, as well as improved information protection and integrated identity and access management.

This is best achieved through Microsoft 365, which brings together Office 365 with Windows 10 Enterprise, and Enterprise Mobility + Security, in a complete intelligent solution.

Highlights and key differences compared to previous desktop deployments

If you haven’t shifted your desktop environment for a while, you will notice that a few things have evolved since your previous desktop deployments. Here are the top areas to be aware of as you plan your migration.

• At the core of modern desktop and its connectivity to cloud productivity, security, and management services, is the modern Identity and Access Management service with Azure Active Directory. This enables single sign-on and secure connectivity across cloud services. It also enables new options for device and configuration management – without requiring connectivity.
• Next in-place upgrade is now the recommended approach in Windows 10 instead of the wipe-and-load reimaging process you might be using today. This preserves apps, data, and configurations from the previous installation.

• If you haven’t switched from BIOS to UEFI, now’s the time. UEFI not only speeds up boot times, but it is also required to enable many of the modern security capabilities in Windows 10. There are tools available to make this switch after or during upgrades to Windows 10.

• Furthermore, Microsoft Intune can be used to manage your Windows 10 devices like other mobile devices from one place. Now you can also co-manage your Windows 10 devices with System Center Configuration Manager together with Microsoft Intune.
• Office 365 ProPlus is the preferred option for Office desktop apps and they have new installation options that are different from the MSI-based packages in the past. Don’t worry, it is still a local copy of Office and you can still use your deployment tools to provision and configure the apps.

Update behavior can now be managed for Office 365 ProPlus at install time and now for Windows using the Windows Update for Business service by configuring policy or using MDM tools.

Windows Autopilot deployment service

Microsoft has introduced a new process to deploy Microsoft 365 devices called the Windows Autopilot deployment service – this allows you to work with your hardware providers to configure your devices so that the moment they connect to the Internet from any location during Windows 10 initial setup, you can begin customizing the device and experience. Despite the new tool and connection options, you can continue using the preferred OS deployment tools like System Center Configuration Manager and the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.

Windows Autopilot brings together Enterprise Mobility + Security Suite, Office 365, and Windows 10 into a single, cohesive experience for IT as well as end-users. With the latest updates, Windows Autopilot now spans each step in your device’s lifecycle from acquiring and deploying devices to ongoing resets.

Despite the new tool and connection options, you can continue using preferred OS deployment tools like System Center Configuration Manager and the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.

New tools to plan what you need to do and assess your endpoints

The first step of your deployment is to create a high-level plan and get necessary approvals and project sponsors. Next, you can assemble your teams and assign areas of responsibility across the following eight steps:

1. Device & App Readiness
2. Directory and Networking Readiness
3. Office and Line of Business App Delivery
4. User Files and Settings Migration
5. Security & Compliance
6. OS Deployment and Feature Updates
7. User Communication and Training
8. Windows and Office as a Service

Hopefully, this gives you a better idea of how to plan your path to a modern desktop. While there may be some upfront learning to take advantage of new resources and updated approaches, the value of making the shift should outweigh the initial investment. Microsoft’s comprehensive guidance should also help you to move to Windows 10, Office, and take advantage of modern management with Enterprise Mobility + Security, more efficiently.