Microsoft’s Got a New Plan for Managing Windows 10 Devices for a Monthly Fee

Megalith

Megalith

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Microsoft is working on a new service that will make it easier for professionals to procure, provision, and manage Windows 10 devices. It is essentially a desktop-as-a-service offering: the “Microsoft Managed Desktop” will let customers lease a Windows 10 device that's automatically provisioned for them and have the operating system kept up-to-date and more for a single monthly fee.

As anyone who's been watching Windows 10 feature updates knows, many IT pros are unhappy about Microsoft's twice-yearly feature updates to the OS. They have seen updates break compatibility with things they didn't anticipate. They've seen Microsoft post and pull patches and updates to these releases, making deployment a nightmare. Windows as a service has been a rocky (or substitute your expletive of choice) road for many.
 
So it actually begins. There was a reason for how it's all gone up to this point. And windows sys admins, start getting used to asking if I want fries with that. Microsoft is now doing your job. The real sys admins moved to Linux a long time ago.
 
MV75 said:
So it actually begins. There was a reason for how it's all gone up to this point. And windows sys admins, start getting used to asking if I want fries with that. Microsoft is now doing your job. The real sys admins moved to Linux a long time ago.
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Nailed it. Starting with Azure and then 365, first the T1 positions and now getting into T2, those in the industry have seen it coming for a while. Jobs will and are shift to security, and specialized software techs. SQL admins will always have a job though :)
 
Wonder what the guarantee is for response time when an update fubars a customer's device? Will MS take responsibility for third party software as part of this?

How long before access to Windows Update requires this service?

Long range, this seems like MS is pushing for a return to the mainframe era where the end user has little to no control over the terminal sitting on their desk.
 
Dead Parrot said:
Wonder what the guarantee is for response time when an update fubars a customer's device? Will MS take responsibility for third party software as part of this?

How long before access to Windows Update requires this service?

Long range, this seems like MS is pushing for a return to the mainframe era where the end user has little to no control over the terminal sitting on their desk.
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Kind of why I started dual booting with Linux after Windows 10 first came out. My guess at the time was that Microsoft would be headed towards this.

Surprisingly, just about all the applications I use under Windows are available under Linux. The main reason I keep a Windows partition around is for gaming, Windows still has the best coverage in that department (only a .
 
jfreund said:
Waiting for the usual suspects to pop in to tell us "Microsoft isn't trying to turn the Windows OS into a subscription!"
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It isn't a subscription, its more like tax or a protection racket.

With a subscription you're usually paying for something extra, this is kind of paying for exactly what you've already been getting. :LOL:
 
"But but
jfreund said:
Waiting for the usual suspects to pop in to tell us "Microsoft isn't trying to turn the Windows OS into a subscription!"
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"But but this is just Enterprise... They would never ever create a pay-forever Windows365 subscription for consumers."
 
Megalith said:
Microsoft is working on a new service that will make it easier for professionals to procure, provision, and manage Windows 10 devices. It is essentially a desktop-as-a-service offering: the “Microsoft Managed Desktop” will let customers lease a Windows 10 device that's automatically provisioned for them and have the operating system kept up-to-date and more for a single monthly fee.

As anyone who's been watching Windows 10 feature updates knows, many IT pros are unhappy about Microsoft's twice-yearly feature updates to the OS. They have seen updates break compatibility with things they didn't anticipate. They've seen Microsoft post and pull patches and updates to these releases, making deployment a nightmare. Windows as a service has been a rocky (or substitute your expletive of choice) road for many.
Click to expand...

My question is with the mention of the 'many IT pros unhappy about updates breaking shit' -- how does a deployed/provisioned cloud Windows 10 get any additional immunity to Microsoft's abysmal Windows 10 patch-pull-repatch-brick-reinstall antics? I would assume it would be subjected to the same untested patches as regular Windows 10.
 
Article said:
As anyone who's been watching Windows 10 feature updates knows, many IT pros are unhappy about Microsoft's twice-yearly feature updates to the OS. They have seen updates break compatibility with things they didn't anticipate.
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I mean, yeah it's annoying but if this is seriously a concern at your organization then you should be running a WSUS server regardless.

I'm a little surprised by the doom and gloom responses too, but I can understand that there would be companies out there that think they can replace their IT force with this service. They're wrong though...

That being said, this could be a useful service for smaller companies without an IT department.
 
glutto said:
The Windows 10 upgrade was free for a reason.

Either you were the product, or they were planning this monthly fee the whole time.

Or both.
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Let me welcome you to Windows 10 micro-transactions. You want that DirectX13? That'll be $20. Want the new Microsoft Awesome Encryption? That's $20. Maybe you want to be able to backup? $20! You're all fucking stupid!, love from Microsoft....
 
Wish there was a linux that had the intent of replacing windows. Im tired of windows bs.
 
I can't install the latest 1803 build without it trashing my HP X360 Ryzen laptop.....
 
Dead Parrot said:
Wonder what the guarantee is for response time when an update fubars a customer's device? Will MS take responsibility for third party software as part of this?

How long before access to Windows Update requires this service?

Long range, this seems like MS is pushing for a return to the mainframe era where the end user has little to no control over the terminal sitting on their desk.
Click to expand...

They can push all they want. I won't participate. I've used linux on the desktop for almost a decade and just keep Windows around for gaming.


Side bar: this type of crap is why I'm teaching my kids command line usage, programming, and linux computing. Too many kids today only understand "I press a button and magic happens" type computing. If you don't have a deeper understanding these corporations are going to own you.
 
STEvil said:
Wish there was a linux that had the intent of replacing windows. Im tired of windows bs.
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Ubuntu and Mint Cinnamon are both aimed at replacing Windows. But like all Linux distros, they can't run all Windows applications, which is the main issue for many Windows users.
 
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