Microsoft is changing things up a little this year. Rather than releasing a major 21H1 Windows 10 update to follow the smaller one last October, this year it’s pushing out a small update this spring. This will contain security patches and bug fixes and is optimized to support users’ most pressing needs following a year of remote working. A major OS update with new features and a visual revamp is expected to follow later in the year.
That doesn’t mean you can sit back and relax. Smaller updates should, in theory, cause less issues and be quicker for users to download, but you can’t rely on that being the case. To prepare for what’s coming in the second half of this year, you’ll want to be sure none of your end users are affected by the fixes in the 21H1 update when you roll it out. Nobody wants to be responsible for the blue screen of death, it tends not to be well received by management.
If you want to treat Windows servicing as an ongoing program – not a one-off project – and get ready for bigger changes down the line, you’ll need to ask some familiar questions:
What do you need to test?
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Do you know every application that is accessed or used in your company? (Don’t forget how many versions are out there.)
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Are you confident that by using Desktop Analytics and SCCM (if you even use SCCM) to push out updates in deployment rings, you won’t affect critical applications or disrupt your users or business?
If you answer no to either of these questions, you’ll need to work out a test schedule and pre-test critical applications with the update. This means spending time on tasks such as:
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Compiling lists of applications, users and equipment.
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Manually cross-checking data against multiple tools and databases.
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Analyzing data to work out what to pre-test and which users to roll updates out to first.
Handy hint: if you add an extra layer of protection and group applications into three priority levels you can leverage software pilots to lower testing time by more than 30%.
Do you need to replace any hardware ahead of the update?
Chances are the answer will be yes and you can start preparing for that now. That means more time spent spreadsheet wrangling and coordinating a hardware refresh program with the deployment of the Windows update. With many end users now working remotely, you are going to have to devise a comprehensive asset tracking plan.
Done manually, all this is going to swallow up time and headcount. And, you are going to have to repeat these steps when Microsoft releases its major OS update later in the year, as well as take on the mammoth tasks of scheduling, rolling out, and reporting. Inevitably the manual nature of this work will lead to mistakes along the way, and changes to the business will mean your static source data is no longer accurate.
So how are you going to make it easier on yourself this year so that you are ready to go through the steps again for the larger 2H21 Windows 10 OS update, and roll out your program, without any nasty surprises?
Adopt automation to cut 50% or more of manual tasks
ReadyWorks believes the answer can be found in automating repeatable tasks, but doing that in an intelligent way, to protect your rollouts and make them a positive experience for all your end users. If you do this, you’ll not only be able to slash time and effort this year, you’ll also be prepared to do the same during next year’s Windows servicing program.
Find out how a Fortune 100 financial services firm saved thousands of hours and improved the quality of their Windows Servicing process with ReadyWorks.
What if you could use automation to cut 50% or more of your manual Windows 10 Servicing tasks? Imagine how much time and effort you could save::
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Collecting and analyzing data
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Planning activities
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Managing hardware refresh programs
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Sending program communications
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Scheduling
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Executing the update and rolling back should issues occur.
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Progress reporting
ReadyWorks gives you access to industry best-practices and tools. It allows you to automate your Windows 10 servicing program and make it a positive experience across your organization. To find out how much time and effort ReadyWorks could save your team, take a look at the ReadyWorks Windows 10 Servicing Calculator.
Schedule a demo to see how ReadyWorks can ease your Windows 10 Servicing pain this year and every year after that.
