Windows Update for Business

[Arthur]

Source: Microsoft

 

With Windows 10, we’re excited to provide you a new option – Windows Update for Business. We have been working with IT professionals all over the world to design new capabilities in Windows Update, designed for end-user devices within businesses. Windows Update for Business will provide:

 

• Distribution rings, where the IT Pro can specify which devices go first in an update wave, and which ones will come later (to ensure any quality kinks are worked out).
  
• Maintenance windows, where the IT Pro can specify the critical timeframes when updates should and should not occur.
  
• Peer to peer delivery, which IT can enable to make delivery of updates to branch offices and remote sites with limited bandwidth very efficient.
  
• Integration with your existing tools like System Center and the Enterprise Mobility Suite – so that these tools can continue to be that ‘single pane of glass’ for all of your systems management.
  

Windows Update for Business will reduce management costs, provide controls over update deployment, offer quicker access to security updates, and provide access to the latest innovation from Microsoft on an ongoing basis. Windows Update for Business is FREE for Windows Pro and Windows Enterprise devices. It’s part of our intelligent cloud – we will update and maintain Windows devices for you, while still giving you control.

 

If you are interested in shaping Windows Update for Business with us, please join the Windows 10 Insider Program today. As you roll out Windows 10, we recommend you segment your Windows devices and consider the best updating approach for each class of device, and then start a pilot of Windows Update for Business with your end-user devices. Together, as partners in the innovation of IT, we will make this a great solution for your business end-user computing needs.

[FN-GM]

Basically what SCCM has been doing for quite a while. I wouldn't really call it new.

[JRowley]

New to those not using SCCM I suppose, but not really new for the rest of us. I was hoping they would try and make Windows Update a bit more light weight personally.

[localzuk]

Also, bear in mind that this is free and SCCM is a paid for product. Big difference! OK, in schools we pay hardly anything but it is still something to consider for smaller schools.

[JRowley]

Also, bear in mind that this is free and SCCM is a paid for product. Big difference! OK, in schools we pay hardly anything but it is still something to consider for smaller schools.

 

Yes of course, for SMBs this will be a great addition actually.

[Michael]

You can achieve this already in WSUS and specify or target WSUS groups for devices, then either allow or deny that update(s) per group. I've done this for years... and it's already free as part of WSUS and Group Policy.

[localzuk]

You can achieve this already in WSUS and specify or target WSUS groups for devices, then either allow or deny that update(s) per group. I've done this for years... and it's already free as part of WSUS and Group Policy.

 

Don't think there are maintenance windows or peer to peer delivery in WSUS are there?

[Michael]

True you can't specify times, only allow or disallow the updates. Really though this is only an extension of what's been available since WSUS 3.0 on Server 2003.

 

Peer to peer does sort of exist already. You can configure parent and child WSUS instances in large organisations. Again you can specify the update or sync to happen the early hours of the morning.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Michael

[pete]

Don't think there are maintenance windows or peer to peer delivery in WSUS are there?

 

Peer-to-peer caching has existed for a while in terms of BITS. See: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd939927%28v=ws.10%29.aspx

 

Computer Config > Policies > Admin templates > Network > BITS > Allow BITS Peercaching.