See The Windows 10 operating system introduces a new way to build, deploy, and service Windows: Windows as a service. These improvements focus on maximizing customer involvement in Windows development, simplifying the deployment and servicing of Windows client computers, and leveling out the resources needed to deploy and maintain Windows over time. Click the following Microsoft Mechanics video for an overview of the release model, particularly the Semi-Annual Channel. Building Prior to Windows 10, Microsoft released new versions of Windows every few years. This traditional deployment schedule imposed a training burden on users because the feature revisions were often significant. Windows as a service will deliver smaller feature updates two times per year, around March and September, to help windows 10 security updates these issues. In the past, when Microsoft developed new versions of Windows, it typically released technical previews near the end of the process, when Windows was nearly ready to ship. With Windows 10, new features will be delivered to the as soon as possible — during windows 10 security updates development cycle, through a process called flighting — so that organizations can see exactly what Microsoft is developing and start their testing as soon as possible. Microsoft also depends on receiving feedback from organizations throughout the development process so that it can make adjustments as quickly as possible rather than waiting until after release. For windows 10 security updates information about the Windows Insider Program and how to sign up, see the section. Of course Microsoft also performs extensive internal testing, with engineering teams installing new builds daily, and larger groups of employees installing builds frequently, all before those builds are ever released to the Windows Insider Program. Deploying Deploying Windows 10 is simpler than with previous versions of Windows. When migrating from earlier versions of Windows, an easy in-place upgrade process can be used to automatically preserve all apps, settings, and data. And once running Windows 10, deployment of Windows 10 feature updates will be equally simple. One of the biggest challenges for organizations when it comes to deploying a new version of Windows is compatibility testing. Whereas compatibility was previously a concern for organizations upgrading to a new version of Windows, Windows 10 is compatible with most hardware and software capable of running on Windows 7 or later. Because of this high level of compatibility, the app compatibility testing process can be greatly simplified. Application compatibility Application compatibility testing has historically been a burden when approaching a Windows deployment or upgrade. Most Windows 7—compatible desktop applications will be compatible with Windows 10 straight out of the box. Windows 10 achieved such high compatibility because the changes in the existing Win32 application programming interfaces were minimal. Combined with valuable feedback via the Windows Insider Program and diagnostic data, this level of compatibility can be maintained through each feature update. As for websites, Windows 10 includes Internet Explorer 11 and its backward-compatibility modes for legacy websites. For the most important business-critical applications, organizations should still perform testing on a regular basis to validate compatibility with new builds. For remaining applications, consider validating them as part of a pilot deployment process to reduce the time spent on compatibility testing. Device compatibility Device compatibility in Windows 10 is also very strong; new hardware is not needed for Windows 10 as any device capable of running Windows 7 or later can run Windows 10. In fact, the minimum hardware requirements to run Windows 10 are the same as those required for Windows 7. Most hardware drivers that functioned in Windows 8. Servicing Traditional Windows servicing has included several release types: major revisions e. With Windows 10, there are two release types: feature updates that add new functionality twice per year, and quality updates that provide security and reliability fixes at least once a month. With Windows 10, organizations will need to change the way they approach deploying updates. Servicing channels are the first way to separate users into deployment groups for feature and quality updates. With the introduction of servicing channels comes the concept of awhich is simply a way to categorize the combination of a deployment group and a servicing channel to group devices for successive waves of deployment. For more information about developing a deployment strategy that leverages servicing channels and deployment rings, see. For information about each servicing tool available for Windows 10, see. To windows 10 security updates with this new update delivery model, Windows 10 has three servicing channels, each of which provides different levels of flexibility over when these updates are delivered to client computers. For information about the servicing channels available in Windows 10, see. Naming changes As part of the alignment with Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus, we are adopting common terminology to make it as easy as possible to understand the servicing process. This will enable you to gain access to new features, experiences, and integrated security as soon as possible. For more information, see the blog post. Important Devices on the Semi-Annual Channel formerly called Current Branch for Business must have their diagnostic data set to 1 Basic or higher, in order to ensure that the service is performing at the expected quality. For instructions to set the diagnostic data level, see. Feature updates With Windows 10, Microsoft will package new features into feature updates that can be deployed using existing management tools. Because feature updates are delivered more frequently than with previous Windows releases — twice per year, around March and September, rather than every 3—5 years — changes will be in bite-sized chunks rather than all at once and end user readiness time much shorter. Tip The feature update cadence has been aligned with Office 365 ProPlus updates. Starting with this falls' update, both Windows and Office will deliver their major updates semi-annually, around March and September. See for more information about changes to Office update management. Quality updates Monthly updates in previous Windows versions were often overwhelming because of the sheer number of updates available each month. The left side of Figure 1 provides an example of Windows 7 devices in an enterprise and what their current patch level might look like. This drastic difference is the basis for many compatibility issues and system anomalies related to Windows updates. Figure 1 Servicing channels To align with the new method of delivering feature updates and quality updates in Windows 10, Microsoft introduced the concept of servicing channels to allow customers to designate how frequently their individual devices are updated. With that in mind, Windows 10 offers 3 servicing channels. The provides organizations with the opportunity to test and provide feedback on features that will be shipped in the next feature update. The provides new functionality with twice-per-year feature update releases. Organizations can choose when to deploy updates from the Semi-Annual Channel. For details about the versions in each servicing channel, see. The concept of servicing channels is new, but organizations can use the same management tools they used to manage updates and upgrades in previous versions of Windows. For more information about the servicing tool options for Windows 10 and their capabilities, see. Note Servicing channels are not the only way to separate windows 10 security updates of devices when consuming updates. Each channel can contain subsets of devices, which staggers servicing even further. For information about the servicing strategy and ongoing deployment process for Windows 10, including the role of servicing channels, see. Semi-Annual Channel In the Semi-Annual servicing channel, feature updates are available as soon as Microsoft releases them. Windows 10, version 1511, had few servicing tool options to delay feature updates, limiting the use of the Semi-Annual servicing channel. Windows 10, version 1607 and onward, includes more servicing tools that can delay feature updates for up to 365 days. This servicing modal is ideal for pilot deployments and testing of Windows 10 feature updates and for users such as developers who need to work with the latest features immediately. Once the latest release went through pilot deployment and testing, you choose the timing at which it goes into broad deployment. In this scenario, the content available for the Semi-Annual Channel will be available but not necessarily immediately mandatory, depending on the policy of the management system. For more details about Windows 10 servicing tools, see. Organizations are expected to initiate targeted deployment on Semi-Annual Channel releases. After 2-4 months, we will transition to broad deployment and encourage customers and partners to expand and accelerate the deployment of the release. For customers using Windows Update for Business, the Semi-Annual Channel provides three months of additional total deployment time before being required to update to the next release. Note All releases of Windows 10 have 18 months of servicing for all editions--these updates provide security and feature updates for the release. Customers running Enterprise and Education editions have an additional 12 months of servicing for specific Windows 10 releases, for a total of 30 months from initial release. These versions include Enterprise and Education editions for Windows 10, versions 1607, 1703, 1709 and 1803. Note Organizations can electively delay feature updates into as many phases as they wish by using one of the servicing tools mentioned in the section Servicing tools. For more information, see Supporting the latest processor and chipsets on Windows in. With Windows 10, feature flighting enables Windows Insiders to consume and deploy preproduction code to their test machines, gaining early visibility into the next build. Testing the early builds of Windows 10 helps both Microsoft and its customers because they have the opportunity to discover possible issues before the update is ever publicly available and can report it to Microsoft. For information about the Windows Insider Program for Business, go to. Each option has its pros and cons, ranging from capabilities and control to simplicity and low administrative requirements. This servicing tool includes control over update deferment and provides centralized management using Group Policy. Windows Update for Business can be used to defer updates by up to 365 days, depending on the version. These deployment options are available to clients in the Semi-Annual Channel. windows 10 security updates In addition to being able to use Group Policy to manage Windows Update for Business, either option can be configured without requiring any on-premises infrastructure by using Intune. In addition to the ability to defer updates, organizations can add an approval layer for updates and choose to deploy windows 10 security updates to specific computers or groups of computers whenever ready. For a consolidated look at the benefits of each tool, see Table 1. Table 1 Servicing tool Can updates be deferred?.
