The Microsoft Windows 10 IT Center and Free Upgrades for Windows E3/E5 Cloud Subscribers

The web portal formerly known as TechNet, a vast resource of technical and practical data for IT Pros in the Microsoft ecosystem gained a new identity several months ago and is now known as the Windows IT Center.

Although the web URL still uses the technet.microsoft.com domain name, the overall site has been rebranded and recently they unveiled a new Windows 10 IT Center where IT Pros can find resources for planning, deploying and managing Windows 10.

The site, located at https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dn798751 has resources ranging from training materials so you can learn about Windows 10 to understanding Windows as a Service (WaaS).

Some of the handy things that are available to IT Pros at the Windows 10 IT Center include:

Microsoft is putting a lot of time and effort into educating users and organizations about Windows 10 but is it having an impact?

If you look at the trend of Windows 7 desktop market share over 2016, data via NetMarketShare, you will see that there has only been a drop of about 4% (52.47% to 48.34%) in the last 12 months.

According to Microsoft's Windows and Store trends data, in the period January to August of 2016, Windows 7 has moved down 15% from 57% in January 2016 to 42% in August 2016.

While these numbers differ based on collection methods, one tracks a sampling of websites and the other uses telemetry collected by Microsoft from deployed/running OS's, the uptake of Windows 10 is not where Microsoft would like it to be at this point.

This slow adoption is likely one of the reasons why the company recently offered free upgrades to those companies with Windows subscriptions through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program. This Windows 10 Enterprise subscription program, announced last September, has now added an option for free upgrades to Windows 10 Enterprise for customers with Windows 7 and 8.1 devices at no additional charge.

The licenses gained through these free upgrades are tied to that device, very similar to the free upgrade program previously offered to consumers, and if the company eventually terminates the CSP based subscription the upgrade license for Windows 10 does not expire nor is it revoked.

Between the learning materials and free upgrade options for those businesses licensing Windows 10 through the Windows 10 Enterprise E3 and E5/Secure Productive Enterprise E3 and E5 products, there is no doubt Microsoft is looking to move the needle when it comes to Windows 10 usage in SMBs and similar organizations.

What is holding up your migration to Windows 10?

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