Microsoft
Until now, it was hard to guess when Microsoft rolled out updates with feature enhancements for Windows 10. Since September 2017, the release schedule will be More stable: the company announced that the big updates of Windows 10, Office 365 ProPlus and System Center Configuration Manager will be released twice a year on the set schedule: in September and March. The combination of office suite and operating system updates is due to the fact that Office Pro Plus and Windows 10 are often installed and updated together, so this will make life much easier for many.
Thus, the next update of Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus takes place in September 2017, and the next – in March 2018.
Another clear rule is established. Each version of Windows 10 will be serviced and maintained for 18 months. In principle, this corresponds to the current practice, writes Microsoft, but the output simultaneously with Office and the official explanation of the policy will simplify the life of corporate sysadmins. It turns out that to maintain constant support it will be enough to install the update clearly once in a year and a half.
Microsoft hopes that the inclusion of half-year updates in the package also System Center Configuration Manager will also simplify the procedure of periodic updates on the schedule.
By approving a new schedule, the more accurate date (to the nearest month) of the release of the Redstone 3 version has now become known: this is September. Previously, Microsoft called only an approximate date: they said that this would happen “in the fall of 2017.”
The situation with the development and release of updates for Windows 10 was previously incomprehensible. Microsoft said that it plans to release two or three updates in a calendar year. But in reality in 2016 there was only one – Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Perhaps, now among the developers, after all, they put things in order, and now they will begin to observe the schedule on a disciplined basis? Although Microsoft is not very confident about the observance of the September deadline. The blog uses the wording that the next update of Windows 10 will be targeted for September 2017. It seems that managers are not completely sure that they will succeed.
For Office 365 ProPlus, updates were released three times a year. This client part is available for many Office 365 subscription packages. Now it will also be updated twice a year: in September and March. In turn, online updates Office 365 roll out constantly: new features are added every month, and even more often.
Changes will not affect users of “off-line” versions of Office with an unlimited license or the same individual applications. It also will not affect the web versions of office applications, such as Word Online, Excel Online and PowerPoint Online. The semi-annual schedule concerns only Office 365 ProPlus connected to Office 365 services. Office 365 ProPlus includes the following applications:
- Outlook;
- Word;
- Excel;
- PowerPoint;
- OneNote;
- Access;
- Publisher;
- Skype for Business;
- OneDrive for Business;
- Office mobile applications.
By the way, Microsoft warns that from October 13, 2020, the version of Office 365 ProPlus will remain the only full-featured office client that connects to Office 365. Users of perpetual licenses are no longer guaranteed full functionality. The company warns in advance for 3.5 years that in 2020, off-line clients of Office 2010, Office 2013 and Office 2016 can be disconnected from the online service Office 365.
The same changes are gradually occurring with many Microsoft products: all users are gradually transferring softly On a subscription with a permanent payment. Unlimited versions will be updated less and less. For example, now it is generally unknown when the next update for the “perpetual” version of Office 2016 will be released. This package was released in September 2015, since then it has been a year and a half already. If the company adheres to the old principles, then we can expect updates in two to three years after release, that is, at the end of 2017 or during 2018.
Office 365 ProPlus and offline versions of Office 2010, Office 2013 and Office 2016 with perpetual licenses Microsoft published in a separate blog post.
News with a clear update schedule for Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus are related to the updates of functionality.
Microsoft says that Windows 10 is already installed on more than 400 million active devices, and in the corporate sector the new version of Windows demonstrates a record rate of implementation, there were none For Windows 7, nor for other previous versions. If updates become predictable, it will only be a plus for the image of Microsoft and its products.
