Understanding Windows 10 Packaging

Windows 10, which arrived in July 2015, offers three editions that largely align with the packaging of Windows 7. However, organizations need to understand the packaging and new servicing requirements for Pro and Enterprise editions in order to purchase Windows most effectively. In particular, organizations that continue to deploy Windows 7 need to understand which licenses and hardware to buy to enable downgrade rights, avoid technical issues, and prevent licensing problems resulting from purchasing the Home edition.

With Windows 10, an Education edition has been introduced that is technically similar to Enterprise edition with small differences. (See the sidebar “Education Edition“.) Two additional editions of Windows 10, expected to arrive later in 2015, for phones and small tablets are not covered in this report.

Windows 10 Pro

Windows 10 Pro largely retains the feature set offered by Windows 7 Professional, including Active Directory (AD) join and Group Policy management, while offering the Enterprise Mode Internet Explorer (EMIE) functionality and Client Hyper-V included with Windows 8 Pro.