There’s still time: Microsoft showcases benefits of Windows 10

When it comes to enterprise-level software, there are only a handful of competitors that can stack up to Microsoft. The tech provider has been a leader in a number of industries for years, and that status was only cemented with the announcement of Windows 10.

In early 2015, Microsoft announced that not only would users be able to upgrade to a new version of the popular operating system, but that many could do so for free. This garnered a lot of attention – it was a never-before-seen offer, especially from a tech provider with so much credibility. Now, Microsoft has offered additional Windows 10 benefits for enterprises, and also noted that the free period will soon be coming to an end.

A target of 1 billion users

While many speculated that the Windows 10 release was carried out as a sort of recovery from the failed Windows 8, few could argue the landmark move on the part of Microsoft. The company allowed any device owner currently running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to log on and download the update free of cost – and many users flocked to the tech giant’s website soon after the announcement was made.

Microsoft made a splash with a free Windows 10 upgrade.

Computerworld UK reported that by the end of March 2016, there were more than 270 million active devices leveraging Windows 10 – and this was only just over a year after the initial offer came to light.

However, Microsoft isn’t finished just yet. The company has even loftier goals in sight, hoping to have 1 billion active Windows 10 users in place by 2018.

Improvements for enterprises

As consumers hurried to upgrade their devices, Microsoft also sought to target enterprise users. The company announced new business-centered features in March, including added biometric security, the ability to extend certain legacy apps to the Windows app store, as well as the availability of Linux command line tool Bash shell.

Then, Microsoft sweetened the pot at its Worldwide Partner Conference in early July with the announcement of the Windows 10 Enterprise E3 edition for the Cloud Solution Provider program. According to Computer Dealer News, this allowed access to Microsoft’s cloud, as well as other select as-a-service offerings. This means that come the fall when services are available, Microsoft’s cloud partners will be able to provide Windows 10 Enterprise Edition as part of their managed service portfolios for just $7 per seat per person for customers.

Serious savings

Even with all of this buzz surrounding the release of its new operating system, Microsoft ensured that consumers and business decision-makers alike understood the advantages to be had with the upgrade. In June 2016, a Microsoft-backed survey from Forrester was released to showcase the considerable savings that Windows 10 could offer when users upgraded from Windows 7. A few of the study’s highlights, based on a theoretical organization with 20,000 employees and 24,000 Windows devices, are listed here:

• A three-year risk-adjustment summary found that the total return on investment of Windows 10 is more than 180 percent.
• The three-year net present value of the operating system is approximately $8 billion, or more than $400 per user.
• Deployment times are reduced from four years to two years.

“With Windows 10, IT and employee productivity are improved, and third-party license costs are reduced or eliminated,” Forrester stated in the report. “Desktop security issue remediation time is reduced by one-third, and client managers can recover 20 minutes per day to meet with more clients. Deployment is also significantly faster than past implementations.”

With savings like this, enterprises are sure to give this upgrade serious consideration.

Free period coming to an end

However, Microsoft’s gravy train couldn’t last forever. The tech giant recently announced that the free upgrade will only be available through July 29, 2016, Forbes reported. After this date, the price for upgrading will still be $7 per user per month for Windows 10 Enterprise E3, and $119 for Windows 10 Home or $199 for Windows 10 Pro.

If you’re an enterprise leader that has been considering an upgrade, contact our expert consultants at iT1 Source. Here at iT1, we’re a Microsoft Silver Cloud Productivity Partner, and can provide you will all the details you need to ensure your employees are armed with the best solutions.

To find out more, contact iT1 Source today.