Windows 10 Pro Is a Dead End For the Enterprise, Gartner Says (computerworld.com)

A prominent Gartner analyst argues that Windows 10 Pro is a dead end for enterprises, citing recent changes by Microsoft to the Windows 10 support schedule. "[We] predict that Microsoft will continue positioning Windows [10] Pro as a release that is not appropriate for enterprises by reducing [...] support and limiting access to enterprise management features," Stephen Kleynhans, a research vice president at Gartner and one of the research firm's resident Windows experts, said in a report he co-authored. Computerworld reports: Last year, the Redmond, Wash. developer announced a six-month support extension for Windows 10 1511, the November 2015 feature upgrade, "to help some early enterprise adopters that are still finishing their transition to Windows as a service." In February, Microsoft added versions 1609, 1703 and 1709 -- released in mid-2016, and in April and October of 2017, respectively -- to the extended support list, giving each 24 months of support, not the usual 18. There was a catch: Only Windows 10 Enterprise (and Windows 10 Education, a similar version for public and private school districts and universities) qualified for the extra six months of support. Users running Windows 10 Pro were still required to upgrade to a successor SKU (stock-keeping unit) within 18 months to continue receiving security patches and other bug fixes.

Another component of Microsoft's current Windows 10 support strategy, something the company has labeled "paid supplemental servicing," was also out of bounds for those running Windows 10 Pro. The extra support, which Microsoft will sell at an undisclosed price, is available only to Enterprise and Education customers. Paid supplemental servicing adds 12 months to the 18 months provided free of charge.

Comments

Any version of 10 is a dead end for enterprise

[Indy1]

forced OS upgrades, which often breaks the registry, poor control over Windows Updates, Windows update showing App store bullshit back onto the box even after you've removed it, etc.

Only the LTSB enterprise version is usable, and even that gets annoying.

Re:Any version of 10 is a dead end for enterprise

[Etcetera]

I use a bootleg copy of Win10E on my home LAN. Buttery smooth. If you're using Pro, you're doing it wrong.

Honestly, this just feels odd. I've been using Windows 10 Pro since an upgrade from 8.1 a while back and.... it feels pretty buttery smooth already, to be honest.

I totally understand that there are issues for corporate IT not wanting to have to move to Enterprise but being forced to do it, but as a "pro-sumer" Windows desktop user I have to say I've been pretty impressed with Windows 10 Pro.

Re:Any version of 10 is a dead end for enterprise

[Anonymous Coward]

Given that Windows 7, which is now 8 years old, works perfectly fine and Windows 10 offers nothing that is substantially better, 24 months of support is absurdly short. And requiring non-business users to change their operating system every 6 months is beyond absurd.

What make all of this so completely ridiculous is that Microsoft gets 99% of its Windows revenue from sales to OEMs who install Windows on the computers they sell. If Microsoft never released anything new, and just kept patching Windows 7 (fix bugs, fix security holes as they are found, add support for new hardware) they would still have guaranteed sales of a couple hundred million copies every year.

Nobody rushes out to buy a new OS because of its "new features".

I just can't figure out how they think this clusterfuck called Windows 10 is a good idea.

Re:Any version of 10 is a dead end for enterprise

[jellomizer]

I personally don't see why Windows 10 Pro is so much worse then Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2000, ME, NT4, 98, 95, NT, 3.1....

If you get the Home version since XP, you are going to get a really sucky version. If you get the Pro version things are usually much better.

However I never really got why Windows was ever welcomed in the enterprise. Needing expensive tools to manage an army of PC, complex profile settings to get a reasonable security defaults, with its application concentric design it creates upgrade challenges.

Now I am a Unix guy, so I never really approach problems with the Windows way, when using a windows system, I will tend to use the Unix approach to the problems.

Re: Any version of 10 is a dead end for enterprise

[phantomfive]

It's bad because it's an ad infested horror show. Maybe that isn't something that bothers you in an OS, but in that case there must be something wrong with you.

Pro vs Enterprise

[jonnythan]

Windows 10 Pro is a dead end for enterprise?

Luckily there is a version of Windows called Windows 10 Enterprise!

Crisis averted!

Re:Pro vs Enterprise

[williamyf]

How can I buy Enterprise?

I have 2 Win10 computers that I used for development.

Explain to me again what the fuck I am meant to do?

Windows 10 Enterprise (and therefore LTSB) is available as a $7 Per month subscription option.

More info here:
https://blogs.windows.com/wind...

But, from the Link:
"Today, we are announcing Windows 10 Enterprise E3 in CSP. Starting this fall, businesses can get enterprise-grade security and management capabilities at just $7 a seat per month for the first time through the Cloud Solution Provider channel."

You're welcome! (On a Nick Burns tone)

Re:Pro vs Enterprise

[Gojira Shipi-Taro]

Why the fuck would I SUBSCRIBE to an operating system?

Re:Pro vs Enterprise

[rahvin112]

Only problem is that microsoft's long term plan for windows is software as a service with a monthly cost just like office 365. They are going this way hell or high water on both enterprise and retail.

That is what Windows 10 represents, anyone still using it enabling this and giving microsoft confidence that it's got a winning strategy and the fanboi's won't see it until it arrives. By 2020 you will be putting in a credit card number and paying a monthly fee to use windows. It's just about the only way Microsoft can soak more money from the system and grow non-cloud revenues.

Re:win10 fallout

[b0s0z0ku]

The devs are OK. The marketeers and business school types are the problem. Clouuuuud. AWK! Move to the cloud! AWK AWK! Cloud better! BRAAAAAWK!