As defined by Microsoft: “Desktop Analytics is a cloud-based service that integrates with Configuration Manager. The service provides insight and intelligence for you to make more informed decisions about the update readiness of your Windows clients. It combines data from your organization with data aggregated from millions of devices connected to Microsoft cloud services.”
That description falls a bit short on one important detail: Windows 10 is not like any previous version of Windows desktop operating system. Updates for Windows 10 are delivered twice a year and previous versions fall out of support just as frequently. At the writing of this article Windows 10 Version 1909 (September 2019) has just gone out of support on May 11, 2021 and Windows 10 Version 2004 is slated to go out of support on December 14, 2021. This is a much faster cycle than previous versions of Windows and much faster than most organizations were prepared to handle.
Windows 10 Feature Updates are the modern method of upgrading from one version of Windows to another. Unlike previous versions, Windows 10 was designed for in-place upgrades and these Feature Updates are what enables this capability. Desktop Analytics helps to bridge the gap between versions with less drama and uncertainty. You can use Desktop Analytics with Configuration Manager to:
With the pace of Windows 10 updates, many customers have challenges with getting and staying current. The biggest challenge is testing applications because the process is typically manual and time-consuming. The benefits of using Desktop Analytics are:
The goal of Desktop Analytics is to provide extensive data to understand your environment prior to a production roll out of a new Windows 10 Feature Update. Desktop Analytics is not used to deploy a Windows 10 Feature Update – Configuration Manager is still the master of the actual deployment
If this overview of Desktop Analytics sounds like the boost you need to get current and maintain your Windows 10 environment, we would love to talk to you. If you have already gotten involved with Desktop Analytics but need some assistance with deployment planning and execution, contact Rutter to start a conversation about your organization’s needs – we can help you find the best path forward.