Windows 10 Deployment Tips for Network Admins

As Windows 10 reached the General Availability (GA) milestone, IT professionals are scaling to the version upgrade. With the fast pace of development from its release to its deployment, network admins and holders of Microsoft Windows 10 certification entrusted with the deployment responsibility, are expected to keep the following considerations in mind while executing the migration plan from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10:

· Don't Deploy Immediately: Migration and deployment should be done strategically with a full proof plan. No matter how good an OS upgrade is, network admins need to be judgmental enough to decide on the plan as when to implement it. Roll out should not be executed before the busy selling season or in the middle of implementing new accounting system. Considering the public-facing standpoint, Windows 10 is subject to frequent innovations within features that call for a planned migration.

· Evaluation Before Deployment: With every version update from Microsoft, familiar settings get altered. For example, menus, or the locations of individual settings are changed in Windows 8. Similarly, there are alterations in Windows 10 also. It becomes inevitable to identify the behavior of Windows 10 and getting well-versed with the changes. The deployment requires a trial, and this shot can be taken on a virtual machine before final plan is made.

· Checking Driver Compatibility: Windows 10 comes with substantive changes to the driver model, which might make few devices incompatible with Windows 10. Even management software may behave differently in Windows10 for affected devices. For instance, USB connected monitors or laptop docking stations must be disconnected during installation, but can continue afterwards, USB floppy drives altogether need new drivers to work with Windows 10. Hence, to have an in-place upgrade to it, verifying the compatibility is a must before net admins initiate the migration.

· Awareness of system requirements: Ideally, Windows require the following configurations:

o  Processor: 1GHz or faster processor or SoC

o  RAM: 1GB for 32-bit OS or 2GB for 64-bit OS

o  Hard disk space: 16GB for 32-bit or 20GB for 64-bit OS

o  Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

o  Display: 800x600

In case the organizations do not want to spend in upgrading the configurations, then sticking to the old version would be the best alternative despite migrating to the Windows 10. Where it is designed as a service to be kept current for the supported lifetime of the device. This lifetime is expected to range from two to four years and is dependent on the customer type.

· Microsoft-Enforced Bundling: Microsoft’s strategy to generate revenue is implemented through additional services like Office 365 and inclusion of sponsored content like Candy Crush Saga and MSN content apps. Appreciatively, their uninstallation is on user’s discretion. But certain bundles can are boggling and problematic to delete as their removal requires extensive modifications.

· Security at Risk with Default Sharing of Wi-Fi Credentials: With the inclusion of “Wi-fi Sense” Feature, the login credentials of protected networks get shared with Outlook.com contacts, Skype contacts, and optionally, Facebook friends. The password does not get exposed, but gets stored in the cloud. The idea is to allow the internet access and reducing attempts to access other devices duly connected. Ironically, we insist on not sharing of passwords and on the other hand Microsoft is automatically capturing the password that is problematic.

Benefits to Upgrading to Windows 10

· Primary factors driving upgrade to Windows 10 are the features like virtual assistant Cortana, that allows you to log in to Windows with your face recognition via Windows Hello, the new Edge web browser to provide better support for digital pens, and integrated antivirus in the form of Windows Defender.

· Migrating to Windows 10 allows you to be relieved from support worries for a lifetime as the Extended Support is promised till 2025.

· Microsoft Windows 10 plugs users into a wider range of information and automatically syncs information with cloud services; thanks to the latest features!

Microsoft Windows being a pioneer OS deployed on every system can be utilized at all enterprise levels. Hence, for network admins, it becomes necessary to learn the most sought-after skills to empower them with the installation, configuration, and troubleshooting various OS issues such as operability and maintenance.

NetCom Learning is a premier training provider that helps you master and earn Microsoft Windows 10 certification and other versions on the go. The high-end professional training can help you gain expertise required to fulfill various IT support roles of installation, configuration and troubleshooting all the essential elements of Windows OS.