Windows 10 News You Can Use – Dec 2016

Posted on December 3, 2016 Updated on December 3, 2016

This my inaugural edition of “news you can use” for Windows 10.  I originally set out to compile and share these bits of information that I see come through the wire, with the hopes that it would be beneficial to you as well.   

1. Did you miss Microsoft Ignite in September?  No worries, the sessions were recorded and are available online.  Here is a catalog of the related Windows 10 sessions.  Optionally, you also download all of those sessions (decks and videos) directly from my OneDrive!
   Download: https://1drv.ms/f/s!Auu_dRzvdA2Ohu41JASZ_8XW-7S6LA
2. Have you heard of the new Upgrade Analytics service to help in your application compatibility planning and readiness?  If not, recently a Microsoft Mechanics video (6 minutes) was created to highlight and showcase the technology.
   Read more and watch: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/mt743627
3. The Windows 10 IT Showcase is about how Microsoft IT used the materials in this program to support the Windows 10 deployment to all employee devices within the Microsoft global enterprise. Now, you can use them to facilitate employee adoption, promote best practices, and ensure a direct path to productivity with the best Windows ever.
   Read more: https://www.microsoft.com/itshowcase/windows10deployment
4. Updated GPO settings reference for Win10/Server 2016.
   Read more: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=25250
5. The Win10 Anniversary Release (1607) has been officially declared as a Current Branch for Business (CBB).
   Read more: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/mmpc/2016/11/01/our-commitment-to-our-customers-security
6. Microsoft has announced the new Unified Update Platform (UUP) that is under development and coming to new branches of Windows 10.  The community and customer benefits of UUP is the reduction you’ll see in download size on PCs.  We have converged technologies in our build and publishing systems to enable differential downloads for all devices built on the Mobile and PC OS.
   Read more: https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2016/11/03/introducing-unified-update-platform-uup
7. Windows is the only platform with a customer commitment to investigate reported security issues and proactively update impacted devices as soon as possible. And we take this responsibility very seriously. Recently, the activity group that Microsoft Threat Intelligence calls STRONTIUM conducted a low-volume spear-phishing campaign. Customers using Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 Anniversary Update are known to be protected from versions of this attack observed in the wild. This attack campaign, originally identified by Google’s Threat Analysis Group, used two zero-day vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash and the down-level Windows kernel to target a specific set of customers.
   Read more: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/mmpc/2016/11/01/our-commitment-to-our-customers-security
8. Configuration Manager 1610 released and contains new features
   Read more: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/enterprisemobility/2016/11/18/now-available-update-1610-for-system-center-configuration-manager
9. The next Win10 branch release was announced as the Creators Update and is due to arrive in the spring of 2017.  Included is the introduction of the Surface Studio and Surface Dial device!
   Read more and watch demo: https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2016/10/26/empowering-a-new-wave-of-creativity-with-the-windows-10-creators-update-and-surface-studio
10. While it’s not really “news for Win10”, are you scrambling for the perfect gifts for the geeks on your list this holiday season? Just don’t know where to start? Lucky for you, the Microsoft elves have spent 2016 putting together the ultimate list of the year’s best tech, toys, and tools and collected them here in the Holiday Gift Guide for Geeks 2016.
    Read more: https://info.microsoft.com/holiday-gift-guide-2016.html