The Windows 10 Creators Update for IT Pros

In October of last year, when Microsoft announced that the next feature update for Windows 10 would be called the Creators Update, it seemed to get a chilly reception from IT Pros and Enterprise customers because it appeared very consumer oriented.

Of course, you can make the argument that even business customers are creators so getting to add 3D objects to a PowerPoint presentation could really shake up the entire Death by PowerPoint approach using this update.

However, when you boil it down to the nuts and bolts for IT Pros you arrive in the realm of focusing on what will make the OS more secure for their users and the company overall.

If you want to check out the consumer related features coming in this update be sure to read the SuperSite: Windows Creators Update Review

The Windows 10 Creators Update, which will begin its public roll out on 11 April 2017 - next month's Patch Tuesday, can be deferred within your network if you are managing your networked systems but after about four months following its release this upgrade will become what is called the Current Branch for Business. At that point it would be considered reliable enough for deployment in a business/enterprise environment. In the interim, hopefully you are testing this upgrade on a small number of key systems to make sure your software and hardware are compatible.

So let's take a closer look at a few of those key IT Pro focused enhancements in next month's Creators Update.

The first one is an expanded Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection process that includes the new Windows Defender Security Center UWP app on the desktop and improved tools for combating threats on your network.

Next up is improvements in handling devices in a BYOD program. Under the Creators Update employees will be able to use a personal device and work purposes including storing and accessing content but IT will still be able to manage access and protection of that data separate from the users data.

Another area of improvement is the new Unified Update Platform (UUP) which will enable differential downloads for updates on PCs and mobile devices running the Windows 10 Creators Update. This will reduce update download sizes by about 35% and Microsoft is also working on improvements to System Center Configuration Manager that will help reduce the monthly express updates size by about 90%.

In addition there are enhancements to Windows Upgrade Analytics, In-Place UEFI conversion when upgrading from a legacy BIOS to UEFI BIOS, and new mobile device management features including the BYOD features mentioned above.

How does your company approach a new feature update for Windows 10?

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