As with the previous update to the Windows 10 Creators release earlier this year, Microsoft’s strategy remains in place. They are actively listening to feedback received and making timely, important improvements to the user experience, security and management aspects of Windows 10. 

With these regular updates though, it is vital to stay on top of your Windows platform, understanding your device estate, applications, compliance and health. To help with that, Windows Analytics has been expanded to include greater richness in compatibility information for applications and device health information (that’s a freebee, before we get into our top 3).

1. Windows 10 continues to lead on security  

The updates in the Windows 10 Fall Creators update provides some important (and timely) updates to security that will be welcomed by all.

Windows Defender is now a security suite covering network, applications, exploits, authentication AND anti-virus. The new Windows Defender Security Suite can integrate directly with Defender ATP analytics to provide enterprise wide monitoring of device health, threats and vulnerabilities, so that businesses can be proactive in protecting themselves and their customers.

Application Guard for Microsoft Edge allows you to create an isolated, sandboxed browser that protects against malware and exploits when browsing the web. Exploit Guard incorporates the Enhanced Mitigation Experience toolkit (EMET, which is no longer supported with this version of Windows 10) to provide a comprehensive toolset for protecting against exploits and attacks, for those that need that extra level of configuration and security. 

Windows Information Protection (WIP) policies can now also be deployed directly from Office 365 to Windows 10 computers, integrating with Azure Information Protection (AIP).

2. Deployment and Management of Windows 10 just got easier 

Windows Autopilot is now available, enabling devices to be pre-configured at the manufacturer, and sent directly to users who simply logon to the new device, simplifying device refresh and deployment.

Windows 10 can also be activated and upgraded to Windows 10 Enterprise from Azure Active Directory, without requiring a reboot. 

Domain joined devices can now be managed by MDM policies, at the same time as having a management agent (such as SCCM) and group policy applied, meaning that devices can be managed, where ever they are, by the appropriate toolset. MDM management has also been expanded to included security baselines and other capabilities.

3. Your end users can continue to be more creative 

The fall creators update continues the theme of creativity for Windows 10, adding new 3D capabilities that can be integrated with Office applications such as PowerPoint for creating engaging material. As well as this, there are also improvements to the interface, apps and capabilities. 

The Edge browser has been improved to annotate and fill in PDF forms giving more flexibility when using PDF's. Users can now pin people to their task bar from the My People app, making it easy to communicate and share with them, and updates to OneDrive mean that files are available on-demand (meaning you no longer need to wait for these files to synchronise fully before searching and using them). 

Finally, integration with mobile devices is better - files and web pages can be shared from phones or tablets to the PC using the ‘continue on PC’ function, which is an app available for mobile devices. 

If you haven’t made the move to Windows 10 yet, or are thinking about it, learn more about Avanade’s approach to Workplace Modernization.