Windows 10 20H2 Update: New Features for IT Pros

Released in October 2020, the latest update to Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system is only just beginning to gain momentum in mass deployment around the world. Whether it’s the global pandemic, compliance testing, or just out of caution, the slowness is finally picking up steam and more devices are starting to transition to the 20H2 version update. .

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Starting with this release, Microsoft chose to change the nomenclature from a version number based on the year and month model to that of the year and half model. This results in a clear indication of when to update at a glance. Support for updates will not change as Microsoft indicates support for 30 months of maintenance from the release date for the Enterprise and Education editions.

Deployment of this update will continue to be available through Windows Update for all instances. Enterprise environments managing their devices through SCCM or MDT can continue to package to deploy updates to devices in a scripted fashion, in automated templates, or in self-service.

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Here are some of the new features you can expect with the Windows 10 20H2 update.

Automatic pilot

Although initially introduced in the 2004 update, Autopilot has received a number of improvements in management and reporting for supported devices. Whether tasks are deployed with co-management in mind or not, Autopilot helps administrators deliver a standardized desktop environment from device vendor to end-user unboxing and configuration, using tasks, policies and reports to ensure that each device is configured exactly as intended and that users have the environment they need to work faster.

Desktop Analytics

This functionality is integrated with Configuration Manager to provide information about the management states of devices within the organization. The cloud-connected service identifies the status of a particular set of applications, giving administrators the ability to configure applications quickly and efficiently, consistently across the enterprise, and to remedy those that are not responding to requirements. basic criteria.

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Improved MDM strategy

Administrators with experience managing their infrastructure with Group Policy (GP) now have the Mobile Device Management (MDM) enabled equivalent to leverage MDM-managed device control using the MDM policy for local users and groups. This policy, like its GP counterpart, enables basic templates to be applied to groups of devices or granularly applied to specific devices, thus contributing to the security and compliance of managed endpoints.

Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Office

Microsoft’s Defender Application Guard technology allows devices with the optional service enabled to leverage the integrated hypervisor to create a virtualized environment, or VM, to isolate data and applications and prevent their interaction from compromising the system or allowing malicious code to operate outside the confines of the container. Microsoft has taken a step forward to include Office documents and data to run in container as well, to prevent untrusted data, such as macros for example, from running unhindered on a system and injecting malicious code in the device.

Microsoft Edge based on Chromium

Microsoft has further modernized its Edge browser by rebuilding it on the basis of open source Chromium code. In addition to the Switch, the new Edge browser works in tandem with other Microsoft products, such as Office 365 and Microsoft endpoint security standards to ensure that data remains secure and accessible on all platforms and Microsoft services. In addition, the new Edge offers compatibility with Internet Explorer applications and sites, allowing a transition period between current use and end of life dates for Internet Explorer 11 and Edge Legacy support.

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Windows Hello

This is another technology that existed before the 20H2 update, but has been further improved and made more secure, adding support for virtualization-based security. This further protects the biometric sensors used in authentication by adding another layer of security to isolate security data.

Windows sandbox

Sandbox technology isn’t new to Windows 10, but the new features in the most recent update provide even more flexibility and expanded capabilities for those who use Sandbox to test apps, software, or just provide an environment. secure and isolated with which to extend productivity while keeping data and resources in container, protecting critical and system-level processes.

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Windows Shell

No change to the operating system would be complete without some additions to the underlying shell. Fortunately, no major changes were made to the operating system, but several thoughtful cosmetic changes made their way to 20H2. Notably, notifications have been changed to provide better readability, and using the Alt + Tab keyboard shortcut to switch between open windows added support for switching between open tabs in Edge for a user-friendly change. Unfortunately, a change not so friendly to some IT pros is the removal of the Systems setting in Control Panel. Although the Systems panel has been migrated to the Settings> About page – and this is the only change to the Control Panel to date – this change is a step forward, it is the belief that more settings in the Control Panel will eventually be migrated to the Settings app.

Windows virtual desktop

This service works in conjunction with Microsoft Azure and allows users to securely connect to a full desktop environment in the cloud. By enabling management through Microsoft Endpoint Manager, administrators can securely and effortlessly manage cloud-hosted VMs, including post-enrollment policies and application provisioning, giving users another way to stay productive .

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