Is Windows 10 ready for enterprise yet?

[Moltuae]

I'm not talking about compatibility with LoB software and drivers. While those are important considerations for each individual case, I'm talking about in general. Is it mature enough and reliable enough to be put to work in a Server 2012/R2 domain environment yet or does it need more time?




Other than a few laptops for basic business use, I've kept away from introducing 10 so far. Still, that's further than I went with 8.x -- not a single installation of that OS went out to my business users. Kind of funny really when you consider how closely 8 and 2012 are related but it seems 8 was replaced before it was really mature enough to be put to work.

Personally, I feel 10 isn't quite mature enough yet, considering its release date alone. However, viewed as an updated/improved 8, which I think is probably a realistic viewpoint, it's been around a while. Given that the clock is ticking more loudly now for Windows 7, I'm beginning to wonder if the time is right to introduce 10 to the workplace.

I've got a number of workstation replacements coming up, including one business customer who needs to replace every single desktop machine, simply because they're outdated and incompatible with some new LoB software they wish to switch to. I feel that Windows 7 EoL is just too close now for such an investment. I'm also contemplating upgrading some customer's systems before the free upgrade offer expires at the end of the month.

So, is anyone here using Windows 10 in a 2012/R2 domain environment yet? How well does it perform/behave and how well have user's adapted to using it?

 

[ccritchie]

I've been running Windows 10 in our domain environment for about 6 months. Granted, we don't have a great number of people on it yet, (probably only about a dozen (out of about 170 desktop/laptop systems), but so far so good. The built-in Bitlocker encryption (for laptops) and the multi-monitor RDP into the desktops are helpful features for our environment. One consideration that I have at this point, in terms of what to deploy, is that we typically keep our systems in production for at least 4 years. If I deploy a new computer right now with Windows 7 Pro on it, it will go out of support before the 4 years is up. (This is assuming that Microsoft will keep it's January 2020 sunset of Win7 support.) Therefore, I will have to upgrade the OS in order to keep it in production. Some suppliers, like Dell, are able to grant a Win10 license for machines that have Win7 pre-installed, but this would still be a hassle to do.

To make the transition a little bit easier for certain users, I'm throwing Start is Back on their new Win10 machine, and many of them are none the wiser.

 

[TenYardFight]

Yes.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[nlinecomputers]

It's fine on the few I have but I've not done any upgrades for my clients on domains. Windows 10 works best on new hardware. When tthe ime come to get new PCs I will push my clients to it. If any of my clients had been running 8 I would have moved them to 10.

 

[ccritchie]

I will add that with only 1 exception we are only deploying Win10 as new installations on new hardware rather than upgrading current Win7 or Win8.1 machines. Though on the whole, Win10 upgrades usually go pretty smoothly, I don't have time in my IT environment for cases when it doesn't.

 

[TechPJC]

Running Windows 10 Enterprise x64 since July of 2015.

No significant problems even on old PCs...

 

[RocklandCompRepair]

I will add that with only 1 exception we are only deploying Win10 as new installations on new hardware rather than upgrading current Win7 or Win8.1 machines. Though on the whole, Win10 upgrades usually go pretty smoothly, I don't have time in my IT environment for cases when it doesn't.

Agreed 1000%. It works well when "clean installed." I've seen quite a few issues, including files disappearing, when upgrading from another OS. I always recommend a clean install unless the customer has so many unique pieces of software that would take decades to re-install (or if they don't have the installation media/license).

 

[Porthos]

It works well when "clean installed." I've seen quite a few issues, including files disappearing, when upgrading from another OS. I always recommend a clean install unless the customer has so many unique pieces of software that would take decades to re-install (or if they don't have the installation media/license).

Agree.

 

[Graham Knox]

I've had 24 laptops on W10 with a business customer for a few months now, no problems at all.

 

[altrenda]

It's fine on the few I have but I've not done any upgrades for my clients on domains. Windows 10 works best on new hardware. When the time comes to get new PCs I will push my clients to it. If any of my clients had been running 8 I would have moved them to 10.

What is the biggest drawback to 10 on older systems. My limited experience is that it runs bettor on machines with lower resources than 7, and seems stable. I also prefer a clean install to an upgrade.

What should I be concerned about on older machines? I'm not talking core 2 machines, but early i3 and i5''s.

 

[glricht]

What is the biggest drawback to 10 on older systems. My limited experience is that it runs bettor on machines with lower resources than 7, and seems stable. I also prefer a clean install to an upgrade.

What should I be concerned about on older machines? I'm not talking core 2 machines, but early i3 and i5''s.

I used to throw away the old Pentium and Core 2 Duo machines running Win 7. But for the last few months, I've been doing a clean install of Win 10 (using the PC's Win 7/8 key to activate) and the result was a machine with new life, very suitable for users that do a little email, a little Facebook, a few games, etc.

Of course, this scenario goes away after July 29 as it won't make financial sense to purchase a Win 10 license.

 

[TurricanII]

It works perfectly in a domain as does Windows 8.1. The only issues I have seen have been LOB apps which you specifically excluded from the survey; they, of course, are still a problem half the time. The biggest problem is end user acceptance and whining about the new unexpected behaviors.

 

[nlinecomputers]

What is the biggest drawback to 10 on older systems. My limited experience is that it runs bettor on machines with lower resources than 7, and seems stable. I also prefer a clean install to an upgrade.

What should I be concerned about on older machines? I'm not talking core 2 machines, but early i3 and i5''s.

No real drawback but no great advantage either. Not worth the effort in most cases.

 

[Porthos]

the old Pentium and Core 2 Duo machines running Win 7. But for the last few months, I've been doing a clean install of Win 10 (using the PC's Win 7/8 key to activate) and the result was a machine with new life, very suitable for users that do a little email, a little Facebook, a few games, etc.

Of course, this scenario goes away after July 29 as it won't make financial sense to purchase a Win 10 license.

Those work great on 10.

 

[cypress]

Yeah I have installed Windows 10 on a couple Core 2 and they run better than on Windows 7