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Microsoft says January Windows 10 build will excite sysadmins

Business users become the focus from early 2015

Microsoft will conduct a big, consumer-focussed, reveal of Windows 10's progress in January, and not long afterwards will “move conversation” to the new operating system's features for enterprise users.

Microsoft Australia representatives today told The Reg that sysadmins and business users should therefore pay close attention to the build of Windows 10 that emerges in January, and make sure to offer feedback, because it may be the last available opportunity to influence its final form. A feature freeze is coming, we were told, ahead of a big update for developers at the time of the Build conference in late May.

Hardware tuned to Windows 10 will then emerge around October 2015.

Our questions on integration between Windows 10 and the next version of Windows Server met with a quick deflection: apparently the server teams have some news up their sleeves, but whatever it is cannot be revealed by the desktop-and-device-focussed folks to whom we spoke.

Microsoft's already revealed it plans an enterprise app store, unified security model and Start-menu-like features in Windows 10, the latter to ensure business users get a desktop they're comfortable with. The new OS will also offer granular management of devices: a single console will be able to do things like disable cameras on PCs and all manner of mobile devices running Windows.

There will also be quarterly updates to Windows, a feature Microsoft says will align it with Office 365.

We asked if implementing operating system updates every 90 days might run counter to current thinking that suggests IT staff should spend more time innovating and less time on low-level sysadminnery. Microsoft's response was that it thinks some updates will deliver enough value to make the upgrade valuable, but that it expects most users will stick to a more familiar, and slower, upgrade cadence.®

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