10 Facts the Channel Should Know About Windows 10

Now that Microsoft has determined that updates to operating systems should be delivered as a service, Windows 10 could be the last major upgrade for a Windows operating system. That shift in delivery model—to continuous updates rather than next versions—has a lot of implications for the channel. While some organizations will still want to control what "gold" standard of Windows they have deployed, increasingly end users will be driving a Windows upgrade process that may no longer directly drive a corresponding hardware upgrade. Of course, now that Windows and Apple Macintosh systems will have a similar upgrade process (with continuous updates instead of entirely new versions), more IT organizations may just throw up their hands by giving end users access to both. On the other end of the spectrum, more organizations may opt for desktop virtualization to give users flexibility while still being able to maintain some level of centralized control. Here are 10 facts for solution providers in the channel to understand about how Windows 10 will change the way they service, support and, ultimately, make money on Windows.