DoD to Perform 4 Million Windows 10 Upgrades Within a Year

“This is an unprecedented move for the DoD and the largest enterprise deployment of Windows 10 to date”, Adams wrote in a blog post.

In relation to today’s news, the Microsoft Surface device portfolio has been certified and available through the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Unified Capabilities Approved Products List.

Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Windows and Devices Group, revealed the transition will impact devices including laptops, desktops, mobile devices and the Microsoft Surface tablet.

It’s unclear what the labor and other elements of the Windows 10 upgrade effort will cost. Enterprises are traditionally a bit on the slow side when it comes to upgrading Windows, and that’s forced Microsoft to push its new OS very aggressively as it strives to reach its goal of having Windows 10 run on one billion devices in two years.

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) plans to upgrade 4 million workstations to Windows 10, generating strong support for Microsoft’s newest operating system. As such, an additional four million extra users, coming from an organization as serious as the DoD, is a huge endorsement for the platform. CIO Terry Halvorsen issued a memo instructing Combatant Commands, Services Agencies, and Field Activities to deploy the OS.

Microsoft also announced that it secured the National Information Assurance Program certification for the new OS. “This means that Surface has met the strict security and interoperability requirements set by the DoD, and can be easily worked into deployment plans for all defense agencies”.

About 22 million of those devices belong to business or education customers, though Microsoft reports more than 76% of its enterprise and education customers are in active Windows 10 pilots.

As security is an essential concern for both the State Department and the DoD, the Credential Guard of Windows 10 was a game changer.

But according to preliminary data collected by CW, making Windows 10 a recommended download in Windows Update has generated only a small bump in adoption figures.

The largest enterprise deployment of Windows 10, and probably the largest for any operating system, Microsoft has just received its biggest win yet.