Windows 10 S - All you want to Know

o   Windows 10 Cloud is here in the form of Windows 10 S targeted @ Education Market as an Option to Chromebook

o   Traditional apps will work on Windows 10 S only if it’s packaged as a Windows Store app, try to run an app not from store & you see below message

o   Microsoft is bringing the full desktop Office apps to the Windows Store to support the Windows 10 S release,

o   Apps are run in secure containers that can’t access other parts of the operating system

o   You won’t be able to buy Windows 10 S by itself, only on devices that come with it preloaded

o   Windows S a pared down version of Windows Pro cannot:

x   Run Non Store Apps

x   Join Domain

x   Run any other Browser except Edge

x   Have any other search integrated except Bing

Windows S Vis a vie Chromebook competitor is a thin client, a low or mid-range laptop, and has MDM (read Intune) & modern management aspects. Like WinRT it does not run regular Windows apps. Differentiator with RT is Windows S will support real Office apps, it runs on x86

Assuming there are enough apps that level the playing field with Chromebooks, it could make a dent in that space. There could not be a huge enterprise play but as time goes by and UEM picks up steam, perhaps it can catch on there, another use case could be using Win10 S device as a thinclient.

It’s a cheap Platform / Device combo as a segment companies are looking to address: Google with Chrome has been very successful in the space, HP and now Samsung pushing phones that turn into desktops, Apple campaigning to position the iPad as a laptop replacement and now MS with windows S. It will be a divided market.

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MS Hololens Commercial edition

·        Commercial Suite includes the Development Edition, enterprise features for added security and device management, and a warranty - https://youtu.be/uWS3C95aehQ

·        Run Published applications from Azure such as the new announced service Citrix XenApp “express” instead of the discontinued “Azure RemoteApp”

·        Remote graphics  AR - Working on either a Word document or heavy GPU CAD application such as Autodesk AutoCAD from the Hololens. The applications are not installed on the Hololens, they are running from servers pixels are only streamed to the Hololens https://youtu.be/tNd0e2CiAkE

·        Enterprise features

o   Kiosk mode - You can limit which apps to run to enable demo or showcase experiences.

o   Mobile Device Management (MDM) - Manage multiple HoloLens devices using InTune. Manage settings, select apps to install and set security configurations

o   Identity -  Azure Active Directory and credentials with PIN unlock.

o   Windows Update for Business - Controlled operating system updates to devices and support for long term servicing branch.

o   Data security - BitLocker data encryption and secure boot is enabled on HoloLens

o   Work access - Remotely connect to the corporate network through a VPN on a HoloLens. HoloLens can also access Wi-Fi networks that require credentials

o   Windows Store for Business -Set up an enterprise private store, company’s apps for your specific HoloLens usage and distribute apps to selected group of users

Surface as a Service & Changes to E Plans

Ø  Service providers would now be able to offer 3 Microsoft services on a subscription basis: Microsoft’s Azure, Office 365, and now Windows 10

Ø  Microsoft plans to make its recently renamed Windows 10 Enterprise product available as a subscription for $7 per user per month, or $84 per year

Ø  Announced July 12, Windows 10 Enterprise E3 is the name of the lower-end of two different versions of Windows 10 Enterprise.

Ø  Windows 10 Enterprise E5 is the new name of the Windows 10 Enterprise version that also will include Windows Defender ATP

Ø  E3 =  Windows 10 Enterprise E3, Office 365 E3, and Enterprise Mobility + Security E3

Ø  Secure Productive Enterprise E5 bundle = Windows 10 Enterprise E5, Office 365 E5, and Enterprise Mobility + Security E5

Ø  Microsoft also announced Surface as a Service essentially leasing to customers on a per-month basis

New Subscription Options for Windows 10 and Surface for Businesses | Windows Experience Blog http://bit.ly/29CrYwM   

App Streaming - Deep Linking in mobile apps

o   Google, which has a strategic interest in making mobile more like the web, is working on something called App Streaming It allows user to get native app experience without having to download the app

o   You had your AOL, your CompuServe, your Prodigy, your MSN — all online services that were disconnected from each other, some with unique content that could only be accessed if you installed (and subscribed to) that particular online service – The Web browser ended this

o   Disconnected World Of Apps - If you want New York Times news within an app environment, you need to download its app. If you want to interact with Facebook easily on mobile, you need the Facebook app. If you want to purchase from Amazon, another app was required (and even then, with iOS, you couldn’t buy because Amazon doesn’t want to pay the “Apple Tax” cut that Apple wants from any iOS app that sells things)

o   Goal is to move between apps just as you do with the web? Here Comes Google App Indexing, Apple Deep Linking & Universal Links, Facebook App Links and Bing App Linking

o   With app streaming, Google will broadcast what you’re looking for within an app, no download /install required, it’s a pilot test that Google’s doing with nine publishers in the US including Hotels Tonight

o   For now only happens for those using the Google App, on Android 5 and Android 6 devices — and only if you’re searching with US English as your setting. Moreover, you need to be on a good WiFi connection for the streaming to happen apps are rendered exactly as if you were using an actual downloaded version

o   Google App Indexing means that Google is now fed information from Hotel Tonight about what’s inside the app, all of its app pages - finding truly app-only content

o   Apple Universal Links can also render app-only content. But those links depend on someone having actually installed an app. With Google’s system, there’s no app installation required

Nanodegree - Earning tech skills

Useful for  somebody trying to earn tech skills in coding,  Nanodegree: A New Kind Of Credential For Jobs in Technology - Udacity http://bit.ly/1Yoi98P

For e.g Tech Entrepreneur Nanodegree program Built in close partnership with Google, the Tech Entrepreneur Nanodegree program mixes theory and practice to teach students how to transform their ideas into market-ready products, and to how to build sustainable, revenue-generating businesses around those products

MPS (discarded by Gartner) we have Managed Content Services now

The role of MPS, is changing  gradually from simply helping customers optimize their printers and MFPs, to helping them handle documents more efficiently and eliminate printing where practical. The industry-specific needs assessments are a starting point and one more step in the transition from MPS to the service we call "managed content services

»   Managed content services (MCS) is a solution that rationalizes, streamlines and optimizes business communications by providing consultative help, software and implementation

»   As the successor to MPS, MCS will subsume the print-related functions of MPS & also help customers manage the same content & documents in digital form

»   MPS and MCS are mostly adopted by organizations with more than 500 users, across all industries and in all regions

»   MPS usually covers scanning & document capture and may also be expanded to include staffed services, such as copy centre’s, as well as telecommuters

»   Some MPS is designed to improve document security or to reduce print volumes and power consumption for environmental reasons

»   MCS pricing and billing:-

o   Flat-fee services, which may be scaled according to the size of the engagement

o   Software licenses and maintenance fees per user or per MFP

o   Per-transaction fees for cloud services or SaaS

o   Hourly, daily or one-time fees for consultation and implementation

»   Traditional MPS together with the four services in which MCS focuses on:

o   The IT side of printing — printer server and printer driver maintenance and consolidation; printing security services; business system integration; and mobile, thin-client, and virtual desktop printing administration services

o   Business process automation

o   Business process optimization

Choose your MPS and MCS provider on its ability to help you optimize your printer fleet and to keep it optimal. Beyond the obvious equipment, supplies and technical support, this includes the needs assessment, ongoing tracking and consultative help, as well as software-based components, such as pull printing and mobile printing services.

Take into consideration any value-adds that make sense for you today, such as workflow packages for business processes and forms or for scanning and searching paper documents. At today's level of maturity, all MPS and MCS providers should be able to provide all these things, but how they go about it, at what cost and with what kind of foresight (around such risks as diminishing page volumes) will influence your selection. 

VMware Trust Point - Securing the Workplace

Ø  Trust point = Unified endpoint management platform and Windows 10 migration tool = Tanium + Mirage + Dashboard (in future Airwatch) = 74 $ / device

Ø  Tanium's proprietary peer-to-peer technology lets organizations continually scan all endpoints in their global networks, finding and fixing security vulnerabilities and identifying and controlling unmanaged devices

Ø  Mirage logically splits the PC into individual layers that can be independently managed: a Base Image; a layer including user-installed applications, a layer including user data, files and personalization. In this manner, IT can create a single read-only Base Image. Image can be patched, updated, and re-synchronized as needed, without overwriting the user-installed applications or data. Read helps in migration to Windows 10

The New ways required to address the security Challenge in the ever evolving Workplace, this offering does address some of the Gaps which are there in Client Management Tools available out there.  

Windows 10 - Limitation of In-Place Upgrade :

• Operating system architecture switch not possible(from x86 to x64 )
• BIOS to UEFI switch not possible
• Operating system language change not possible
• Changing SKU not possible
• Third-party disk encryption not supported. must un-encrypt before upgrade. Bit locker is supported. 
• Dual-boot or multi-boot systems not supported
• Cannot use a custom image of Windows 10 for In-Place Upgrade scenario. You must use the install.wim image provide in the Windows 10 media
• Ensure all LOB web apps works with IE 11 before OS upgrade