Over the course of our 20-year history, one conversation has remained constant: enterprise IT’s boundaries continue to expand, particularly now with the rise of third-party managed resources. Today, one of the most important rollouts that personifies this expansion is Windows 10.
Microsoft has broken new ground with one of the first operating systems to be delivered as a service. Not only does this model translate to more frequent, continuous updates, but it also facilitates cloud adoption, further encouraging the buzzworthy hybrid environments.
According to Gartner, “By the end of 2017, about 85 percent of organizations will have started Windows 10 deployments.” Business are clearly starting to hop on the Windows 10 bandwagon before Windows 7 support ends in 2020, but what should they do once they get there?
The good news for IT is that Windows 10 presents new options for optimizing the environment and decreasing IT’s workload. Want to take advantage of those benefits? Read on for our top three key concepts to consider when monitoring Windows 10.
1. Optimize IT Assets for End Users
Anyone who has ever managed or been involved in a technology rollout has probably asked, “Now that it’s implemented, are my users interacting with their new technology the way I expected?” At some point, we have all found ourselves needing to understand and visualize how end users are interacting with their environment. Now with Windows 10 innately embracing and encouraging SaaS, IT teams already migrated to Windows 10 find it even more imperative to answer questions like, “Are end users truly using the software and hardware distributed to them, or are they over/under requesting?” Why? Because fitting hardware and software investments to user needs not only saves money, but truly supports business productivity in an era when work is digital.
2. Monitor the Endpoint
When Microsoft first released Windows 10 as an “as a service” OS, we were all wondering what it truly meant, and perhaps even more specifically, what it meant for end users. Now we know that it has brought great benefits like the familiar feel of Windows 7, but also waves of small, frequent updates. As Windows 10 continues to increase its compatibility with SaaS applications, such as Office 365, IT teams have found an increasing need to monitor the performance and usability of IT resources pre and post updates. But how can they do this? Directly from the endpoint.
From an endpoint view, IT teams can track OS and app performance as it is truly being experienced by the end user. With the right tools, they can monitor this regardless of whether IT resources such as operating systems, apps, network or storage are on-prem or in the cloud. When it comes to Windows 10, endpoint visibility can help benchmark OS performance pre and post update, enabling IT to judge the impact of more frequent updates on the environment.
For example, the initial Creators Update left some users with older processors in a poor position. By tracking exactly what resources end users have and what they are experiencing, IT admins can not only continuously optimize for end users, but also guarantee that productivity doesn’t decrease due to the new update structure.
3. Continuously Assess the IT Environment
IT environments are not static. Just as Windows 10 was launched, so will other operating systems, applications and disruptive technologies. Similarly, the IT environment will forever be shifted by the changing needs of the business and its end users.
What should always remain the same is IT’s approach to these changes with a continuous assessment that is centered around end users. Just as IT must optimize the Windows 10 environment for the needs of end users, and monitor the endpoint for the end-user experience within Windows 10 devices, IT can take a similar approach when it comes to monitoring the steady state of all the IT resources end users interact with.
No matter where you are on your Win10 journey, Lakeside Software can support you from assessment to implementation to steady state monitoring. Click here to learn about our Win10 assessment.
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