Meet Your Teacher
Hello, my name is Kevin Moran and I am a practiced IT professional with over ten years of experience. I have managed and mentored successful IT departments in a number of different industries and I am dedicated to helping individuals make the most of their IT careers. I will be your guide through this Windows 10 course, so let's get started.
In this part, you will learn how to choose and get a Windows license. We will then look at how to install Windows and some settings to help your users get the most out of this software.
Let’s get started by looking at the different Windows 10 editions available and how you can get them.
Choose the Right Edition
There are five different Windows 10 editions to choose from:
Home
Education
S
Pro
Enterprise
Let’s compare them to help you to make the right choice for you and your users.
Windows 10 Home
The Windows Home edition, as you will have guessed, is for personal use. Since you typically wouldn't install this one for companies, we won't spend too much time on it. While it has all the features a user needs, it doesn't have administrator's features.
Windows 10 Education
As evident in the title, this version is for schools and other educational institutions.
In addition to a Microsoft Store for Education, the administrator (or the teacher) will have a deployment toolkit to help them prepare the computers for a class (we’ll look at this in more detail in the second part of this course).
It’s still not the right edition, but if you ever need Windows for a school, this is the one you’ll choose. However, you should know that this edition offers the same services as the Enterprise version (the only difference is Microsoft Stores).
Windows 10 S
The S edition of Windows 10 is, more or less, a feature-limited version of the Pro edition. It is aimed at students and only has Windows Store applications.
It is probably not the edition that is going to interest you.
Windows 10 Pro
It is the first edition that offers the features that meet the needs of a company.
What are the features?
The Pro version has features that allow you to:
join a domain.
manage Group Policy.
encrypt your hard disks using BitLocker.
access Remote Desktops.
access Windows Store for Businesses.
use the deployment toolkit (we’ll look at this in the second part of this course).
safeguard your professional data.
access centralized updates for all of the computers.
It's possible for anyone who has the Pro edition to migrate to the Enterprise edition.
Windows 10 Enterprise
The Enterprise edition has everything the Pro version has, as well as a few extra features. We’ll explore these extras to see if it’s the edition for you.
Rather than looking at the individual features, we’ll look at the categories where the Enterprise edition excels.
Advantage 1: Security
Enterprise has several extra security features that the Pro version doesn’t have. The most important of these is Microsoft’s latest security feature, Windows Defender ATP(Advanced Threat Protection).
This security service is cloud-based, which means that you don’t have to configure a company server. Windows Defender ATP also detects malicious behaviors (which can be very useful if your colleagues don’t know how to spot malware). It also has new-generation antivirus software, which helps you isolate an infected computer (which isn’t easy without such software).
Windows Defender ATP also makes it easier to manage your alerts, saving you a lot of time given the number of them you may receive per computer.
This solution also allows you to check that your company is meeting certain security rules. Furthermore, it enables you to be more proactive in looking for any online threats to your company.
Advantage 2: Ease of Use
Windows 10 Enterprise also provides greater ease of use with applications. If your organization uses or develops any 32-bit applications, this will no longer be an issue thanks to the Microsoft Application Virtualization function. This function virtualizes the execution of any 32-bit applications.
Advantage 3: Windows Store for Businesses
One of the main advantages of this edition is that you can have a personalized Windows Store to manage your group licenses, saving you time.
Advantage 4: Portability
It can be challenging for some organizations (e.g., hospitals) to change editions due to the size of the applications they use. Often such organizations prefer not to upgrade, and you will come across companies operating using very old editions of Windows. The Enterprise edition’s Long-Term Servicing Branch service guarantees security updates and bug fixes.
You can find the full table comparing the features of Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Professional here at Compare Windows 10.
Here are some things to consider before choosing which Window’s edition is suitable for your company:
Your company’s needs.
If any non-Windows features already cover these needs.
Now, let’s look at how you can acquire these editions of Windows.
Download Windows 10
To acquire Windows 10, head over to Download Windows 10.
Click to download the tool, save the file, and then run the application.
Choose to create installation media for another PC.
Then, create an ISO file.
Now you can burn this file to a DVD drive. Once complete, insert the media to install Windows 10.
Let’s now look at how you can get the various Windows 10 licenses.
Get Your Windows 10 Licenses
To get Windows Enterprises licenses, you will probably have to opt for online resellers as Microsoft does not sell individual ones directly.
You can, however, get your Home and Pro licenses on Microsoft’s website.
If you’re working in a large company, look at the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center to manage your Windows licenses.
This platform enables you to centralize your licenses and purchases, making your job easier and saving you time.
Let's Recap!
There are five different Windows 10 editions:
Home edition for personal use.
The S edition, which offers a limited feature experience.
Pro edition, which has administrator features.
Enterprise edition, which offers the full range of Microsoft features.
The Education edition for educational institutions.
The deployment features of the Pro and Enterprise editions make it easier for you to install Windows 10 in a professional environment.
The management features of the Pro and Enterprise editions help you to save time.
In this chapter, you have learned the differences between the various Windows editions to determine the right one for your organization. All that’s left for you to do is install it, which we will do in the next chapter.
