With Windows 10 now on over 200 million devices including PCs, tablets, Xbox One consoles and Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft is going one step further by making it easier for small organizations to update to its latest operating system. Similarly, for businesses that don't want to receive the upgrade notification, the company is also making it simpler to opt-out of the program.
Microsoft claim the "Get Windows 10" notification has been popular among consumers, offering them an easy method to upgrade to the OS, so the company is extending the program to small businesses and organizations as well. Microsoft will start rolling out the notification system to organizations in the U.S. early this week, and to additional markets shortly after. The company states that the following systems will be eligible to receive the "Get Windows 10" notification:
- Running and licensed for Windows 7 Pro or Windows 8.1 Pro
- Configured to receive updates directly from the Windows Update service (i.e. updates are not managed by WSUS or System Center Configuration Manager on those devices)
- Joined to an Active Directory domain
Keeping in mind the businesses which do not want to upgrade to Windows 10, Microsoft has also detailed methods for IT Pros to stop receiving the notification. Companies with IT departments should head to Microsoft's support page, while organizations running the Enterprise edition of Windows 10 or using onsite tools will not be receiving the "Get Windows 10" notification at all. The company states:
We believe these changes balance the needs of small businesses and organizations that want to take advantage of the free Windows 10 upgrade offer to do so more easily, while providing organizations of all sizes the tools and controls they need.
This announcement goes in line with Microsoft previously stating that users with eligible systems will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 free of charge for the first year. With half of that time almost gone, the users who haven't updated to the latest OS yet only have just over six months to claim the free upgrade.
Source: Microsoft
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