One of the most important components of running a successful business is having the right IT setup. With so many options available, it can be difficult to know which one best suits your own business’ needs. Having the right Operating System can have a huge impact on how smoothly your IT setup will run.
The current and most common Operating System available is Windows 10, which comes in different variations, such as Home, Professional, Business, Enterprise or even S-Mode. Often when purchasing a new device from a retailer, it will, by default, come with Windows 10 Home and generally need to be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro. Although this is the lowest cost version of the Operating System, it is very limited on features that may be quintessential for a business. Comparatively, Windows 10 Pro and above is specially designed for businesses, containing features that unlock higher levels of security, including compatibility with tools like Azure Active Directory.
Azure Active Directory is perhaps one of the most useful features when using a cloud-based environment that can only be fully utilised with Windows 10 Pro or above. You may be asking, what is Azure Active Directory, and why is it important? Azure Active Directory is Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management service. What this does is allow employees to securely access the system and resources available to the business such as Office 365, company network and intranet services, and shared company data.
Similarly, organisations still using on premise infrastructure will have a similar concept available via a local Active Directory server, known as a domain controller. In these on-premise scenarios, Windows 10 Pro has a heavy focus on security, managed through the Group Policy feature. This enables businesses to provide specific users or devices with specifically defined security settings. Users can be granted access to certain files, applications, and devices, as defined by their Group Policy.
As with all versions of current Microsoft Operating Systems, Microsoft provide constant updates for Windows 10 Pro, ensuring your systems have the latest security patches and features. Conventionally the user is largely obligated to self-manage the installations of these updates however by using cloud-based services, these updates can be deployed automatically at any desired time, and simultaneously to multiple computers, as long as they have the adequate licensing. Lastly, Windows 10 Pro also comes with the BitLocker encryption tool. This tool allows the user to encrypt USBs and hard drives and locks the data inside behind passwords. By using this tool, users can keep sensitive data safe and password protected.
While all of this may seem complicated, Microsoft have done their best to make the process easy and seamless through their Microsoft 365 platform. Through their Dynamic Provisioning, users can take their new computer straight out of the box, turn it on, and transform it into a productive organization device with minimal time and effort. With Azure’s Enterprise State Roaming, Microsoft has created a unified experience between Windows devices, allowing users to sign in with their pre-existing account, bringing them to their same profile and settings they have already set up on other computers, removing any need for device configuration.
Windows 10 Pro provides the perfect solution to business needs. It allows corporations to seamlessly manage users and groups in one spot, entirely through Cloud Computing, minimising the need for difficult setups and connections otherwise created through Windows 10 Home.
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