Windows 10 Release and Servicing Plans Outlined

[Oct. 26, 2015 note: A more recent version of this report can be found at www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/research/secured/2015/10/windows-10-release-and-servicing-plans.]

Windows volume licensing customers can expect new options for how updates, fixes, and new features will be delivered to devices running some editions of Windows 10. The new models for delivering security and feature updates to Windows may fit businesses better than the approaches used for Windows 8 and 8.1, and while the new models will likely continue with future Windows releases, questions remain about the costs and limitations of the new options.

This report updates “Windows 10 Release and Servicing Plans Outlined,” which appeared on page 3 of the May 2015 Update. It explains the servicing processes that will be available for each Windows 10 edition and includes information that was released at the time of Microsoft’s May 2015 Ignite conference.

Windows 10 Feature Release and Servicing Cadences

Windows 10 will offer a range of options for how the OS is released and serviced (including when security updates, new features, and major releases are first delivered or required). Although consumers may qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 10, such free releases will get rapid, mandatory updates. Only businesses that purchase Windows Enterprise edition through their volume licensing agreements will receive long-duration support and the ability to leave mission-critical systems on the same build of Windows until the business is ready to upgrade the OS, as Windows has provided in the past.