How Microsoft Insider Programs Give IT Pros a Leg Up
Many IT organizations are looking for any angle to gain an advantage as they work to stay up to date on the latest software enhancements and new features. For any enterprise connected with the Microsoft software stack, the available Microsoft Insider Programs provide a way to do just that, via early access to upcoming updates for major Microsoft software products such as Windows, Office and the new Edge web browser.
The early access allows IT departments more time to evaluate and use the new versions of the tools and services; then, they can make an informed plan for rolling them out across the enterprise.
The method to take advantage of these Microsoft Insider Programs is straightforward. Start in the IT department, then designate a handful of IT techs to join these programs and use the software each day in your organization’s operating environment and while performing their normally assigned duties. This will allow a methodical approach and evaluation concerning compatibility of software such as unique line of business (LOB) applications with the enterprise’s own hardware.
This article by Richard Hay originally appeared on Channel Futures’ sister site, IT Pro Today. |
Each Microsoft Insider Program contains built-in feedback tools, and business customers’ feedback tends to get prioritized in resolving any incompatibilities. So organizations should take advantage of this increased access to software engineers and support teams to address and resolve any challenges that they encounter in the preview software.
One benefit in many of these Microsoft Insider Programs is that updates are shipped across multiple channels. To that end, each channel has a different level of risk associated with it depending on where it is in the development cycle. Early channels will be buggier, while those closer to the release stage will be more stable. This will allow in-house insider programs to be limited in those early stages and then slowly broadened to encompass more end users and devices close to final release of the preview software.
Here are the three main Microsoft Insider Programs that enterprise organizations can explore.
Windows Insider
This was the first insider program from Redmond, thus leading the way as other divisions within the company opened their own preview programs.
Over the last five-and-a-half years, it has gone through a few changes and tweaks to its ring-based system of distribution. The Windows team recently decided to adjust their own approach to sync up with the other insider programs offered across Microsoft. While the rings (Fast and Slow) were tied to the frequency of releases, the new channel approach will focus on quality instead.
There are three different channels for the Windows Insider program; each targets …