Servicing Implications of Windows as a Service

The release of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (Windows 10 version 1607) solidifies the new “Windows as a Service” release and servicing model for the Windows client OS, including types of releases and terms. Organizations must understand this servicing model to adequately plan the ongoing testing and deployment of Windows 10. In particular, organizations need to be ready for frequent Windows 10 releases that add, improve, deprecate, remove, or repackage features and have a process that can quickly test those releases with production users and devices.

Upgrade Versus Update

Two similar words describe the ongoing releases of Windows 10: “upgrade” and “update.” The definition of these words was refined with the introduction of the new Windows 10 servicing model, which delivers OS releases on a schedule depending on the servicing branch a computer has been configured for.

Windows Insider Preview (WIP) branch users get a preproduction OS release to permit experts and organizations to evaluate the OS’s new features and user interface redesign before formal release.