Windows 10 S Plays Limited Role as Enterprise OS

Photo Courtesy of Microsoft Corporation

Windows 10 S targets educational institutions and other organizations willing to use a highly managed OS in exchange for potentially increased reliability and security. The biggest restriction to Windows 10 S is that it is limited to running only applications preinstalled with the OS and other applications downloaded from the Windows Store. There may not be Windows Store versions of all the applications an organization needs.

Windows 10 S is a restricted configuration of Windows 10 Pro, and although it has some advanced features, such as BitLocker, and supports Windows Update for Business and mobile device management (MDM), it cannot be joined to an on-premises Active Directory domain. Although it can join an Azure AD, these limits, and the potential lack of applications, limit Windows 10 S usefulness for most businesses.

Other restrictions include designating Microsoft Edge as the default browser. Although it may be possible to download another browser from the Windows Store, Edge will remain the default. Similarly, Microsoft has said that certain default settings, features, and applications cannot be changed. For example, the default search provider (Bing) in Edge and Internet Explorer cannot be changed.