14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has announced new changes made to the Windows 10 update policy that’s supposed to provide businesses with more time to update their computers.
The new policy concerns Windows 10 Enterprise and Education editions, which according to the current guidelines, are required to update to new OS versions in 18 months after their release.
But starting with the October 2018 Update (version 1809), businesses are provided with 30 months of support to update their systems based on a simplified approach.
Technically, each fall release would be supported for 30 months after launch, while spring feature updates would receive support for 18 months, just like before.
“All future feature updates of Windows 10 Enterprise and Education editions with a targeted release month of September (starting with 1809) will be supported for 30 months from their release date. This will give customers with longer deployment cycles the time they need to plan, test, and deploy,” Microsoft explains.
“All future feature updates of Windows 10 Enterprise and Education editions with a targeted release month of March (starting with 1903) will continue to be supported for 18 months from their release date. This maintains the semi-annual update cadence as our north star and retains the option for customers that want to update twice a year.”
Windows as a Service
Microsoft says these changes are all based on user feedback, as many businesses have complained that the company’s current release pace doesn’t give them enough time to prepare for upgrades.
Windows as a Service is a new concept that includes two major feature updates for Windows 10 released every year. Until now, users and businesses alike were given 18 months to update to new versions, after which older releases were no longer supported.
The new policy comes into effect with the release of the October 2018 Update and Windows 10 Home and Pro aren’t included. This means they will continue to be supported for 18 months on all devices.