WINTER 2015

• The best Windows 10 devices and apps

• Education licensing options

• Deployment and migration tips

Microsoft Windows 10 Upgrade Guide for Education

A comprehensive guide for Educators, School Administrators and IT Professionals

2Windows 10 Upgrade Guide for Education

Educators want to know: Is it time for Windows 10?

Welcome to the newest edition of our

Windows 10 migration guide, with special

features and information tailored to teachers

and IT professionals in Education.

We decided to revisit this guide, which we

first published in Fall 2015 to help schools

work through the most complicated aspects

of getting ready for Windows 10, including:

• Why schools should upgrade to Windows 10

• The best hardware options to fit your budget

• Features and apps teachers will love

• The licensing options available for Education

Read on to discover if Windows 10 is the right move for your school.

Introduction

3

Overview

Section 1: Why Windows 10? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

• 5 reasons to seriously consider Windows 10

• Additional features

• Why Windows 10 rules the classroom

• A world of apps

Section 2: Powerful Hardware, Priced Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

• Windows 10 devices, starting at just CA$239

Section 3: Licensing Options and Upgrade Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

• Windows 10 Education edition

• Windows-As-a-Service

• Software update cycles

• End of Service packs

• How students can get Windows 10 for free

Section 4: Deployment Services and Training Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

• How to determine readiness

• Deployment options

• Training and resources for teachers

www.softchoice.com/microsoft Windows 10 Upgrade Guide for Education

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Why Windows 10?

Should you upgrade to Windows 10? It’s a key question many school boards have been reviewing. To help you make an informed decision, let’s start with the top reasons why schools are upgrading to Windows 10.

5 Reasons To Seriously Consider Windows 10

1. One converged Windows platform behind it all

Windows 10 provides students and teachers with a platform for collaborating, exploring, and

getting things done. It enables engaging learning experiences to elevate student outcomes and

transform education. This platform comes in a range of leading Windows devices, so schools can

choose what best fits their budget. Management and deployment tasks have also been simplified

to help lower costs and fit your school’s needs.

2. Better learning outcomes

Windows 10 empowers teachers to create a dynamic learning environment that excites and inspires

students to learn and grow. Windows 10 is friendly and familiar, and supports a wide range of

learning peripherals and education apps, like Corinth Classroom and Kno Textbooks. Windows also

provides several tools like Microsoft Class Dashboard and OneNote Class Notebook, which enable

better collaboration and communication, and like Snap Assist and virtual desktops, to help teachers

stay organized and get more done. With Continuum, Windows 10 education apps and content adapt

to display seamlessly across a variety of devices, even as you transition from one to another.

3. Affordable devices and solutions

This is a big one for our Education clients. The latest Windows devices on the market inspire 21st

Century learning, but don’t force schools into a one-size fits-all device ecosystem. Windows 10

devices continue to provide more choices for all learning styles and price points; for example,

touch-first devices that help young students learn how to write with on-screen inking. Windows

is also committed to inspiring students with cutting-edge devices like Surface Hub and HoloLens.

4. Safety & Security

The last few years have seen an unpredicted increase in the number and severity of enterprise

security threats. Windows 10 goes beyond just building bigger walls and delivers entirely new ways

to help protect your teachers’ and students’ identities, data and devices. Features like Microsoft

Passport and Windows Hello make it easier than ever to deploy and use biometrics and multi-factor

authentication to strengthen identities. Windows 10 also delivers new ways to help protect

information from leaks or theft – critical in BYOD scenarios – and better ways to help protect

devices from damaging malware and inappropriate apps.

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Why Windows 10?

Additional features to note about Windows 10:

• Faster boot up and performance: Windows 10 starts up and resumes faster,

making the most out of your hardware, and making users happier too.

• Built-in security: Protects against viruses, phishing, malware, and spyware.

Regular updates protect you from the latest threats. Its built-in security is

designed to work with the software and hardware you already have.

• Windows Hello: No more passwords – the option to log in with facial

recognition or fingerprint instead. Coming soon to Canada.

• Cortana: The intelligent assistant comes to Windows, helping users execute

tasks such as taking notes and setting reminders using their voice.

• Gestures, voice and pen: Users will be able to use gestures, such as waving

their hand, to activate specific applications and accomplish small tasks.

Similarly, the OS works nicely with additional input such as pens and voice.

• Hardware options: Expect new form factors optimized for the converged touch

OS to come out in the months ahead.

5. Simplified Deployment & Management

Windows 10 helps schools reduce the cost and complexity historically associated with managing and deploying Windows devices.

With Windows-as-a-Service, school devices can always be up-to-date and secure, while deploying at the right pace for your school.

In-place upgrades and dynamic provisioning enables schools to leverage their existing devices, while simplified management and

deployment tools like Mobile Device Management take the complexity out of upgrading devices.

Additional Features

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Why Windows 10 Rules The ClassroomWhile the features outlined above are compelling, here are a few more that highlight why Windows 10 is a winner in the classroom.

1. The platform you never outgrow

• With the widest range of device choices, Windows devices can reach all grade levels.

• Windows tablets are great for consuming content for K-3 learning their ABCs.

• Windows laptops starting at CA$239, are great for creating content and collaborating Office 365.

• Windows laptops with increased storage and 2-in-1 devices that enable touch and pen input are important to run larger education

software, and supporting pen input

• With the same operating system across all form factors students don’t need to learn a new one as they move up in grades.

Why Windows 10?

K3 5-8 9-12 Beyond

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2. Thinking in ink

• Windows offers a premier inking experience across devices and applications that engage students and enhance their learning.

• Students and teachers can easily mark-up webpages using Microsoft Edge – the only built-in technology available for tablets and

PCs that lets you write or type directly on webpages.

Research shows students who diagram thinking with a pen, using an application like OneNote, score 25%-36% higher than those

who only use keyboard when solving science problems. (“Computer interfaces and their impact on learning” by Sharon Oviatt)

Why Windows 10?

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Why Windows 10?

3. Compatibility king

Windows is compatible with the widest range of connected devices in the classroom, from printers, to cameras, and even digital

microscopes. It also works well with new educational resources, including websites running on Flash and interactive digital textbooks.

4. Collaborative learning on all devices

• Windows runs on the largest range of devices. Choose from web, mobile, and desktop versions of apps that allow for a dynamic

classroom, and encourage collaboration creativity, critical thinking and communication skills, such as OneNote, OneDrive and Office 365.

• Students can work on the same documents at the same time

within the same classroom, or from different parts of the world.

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5. Designed for all learning styles

Windows provides the right device for the right need. Our range of great devices and learning technologies allow teachers to reach

students with a range of learning styles and abilities.

• Kinetic learners can learn by doing using touch and pen input.

• Audio learners are supported as all audio files run on a Windows device.

• Solitary learners can unplug and sit in the library while continuing to consume and create content as Windows devices runs both online and offline.

Why Windows 10?

>> See even more reasons to upgrade here <<

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A World Of Apps For EducatorsThere are thousands of education apps in the Windows marketplace, from early learning games, to study aids and apps to help you manage the classroom - with more being added every day.

Here’s a sample of the categories and apps available for Windows 10:

Why Windows 10?

ART, DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY

Doodle Pad: a simple drawing application for all devices and ages

CLASSROOM TOOLS

My Homework: a planner app that helps students stay organized by tracking classes, assignments and tests

HISTORY

Back in Time: a stunning exploration of the history of our universe, Earth, life and civilization

LANGUAGE ARTS

English Club: a fun collection of classic word games like hangman and stories to help teach English to young children

EARLY LEARNING

Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham: an interactive experience of the classic story book

MUSIC

Piano Time: a full set of tools for touch devices, to enhance learning the piano

Find the perfect app for your specific needs.

Download a curated list of the

TOP 100 EDUCATION APPS HERE

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Windows 10 Devices, Starting At Just CA$239

You don’t need to sacrifice budget to take advantage of Windows 10, with an affordable lineup of devices for the classroom, including laptops, tablets and 2-in-1s starting at just CA$239.

Powerful Hardware, Priced Right

starting from $239Acer - Laptop - 11.6”

Aspire One Cloudbook 11Touch: No

starting from $269Lenovo - Laptop - 11.6”

IdeaPad 100sTouch: No

starting from $399 Asus - 2-in-1 Convertible - 11.6”

Transformer Book FlipTouch: Yes

starting from $259HP - Cloudbook - 11” or 13”

Stream 11 Touch: No

starting from $299 Dell - Notebook - 14” or 15.6”

Inspiron 14 3000 SeriesTouch: No

starting from $449Dell - 2-in-1 Convertible - 11.6”

Inspiron 11 3000 Series 2-in-1Touch: Yes

starting from $249 Toshiba - Tablet - 10”

Encore 2Touch: Yes

starting from $329Lenovo - Tablet - 10”

Ideapad MIIX 300Touch: Yes

starting from $499HP - Notebook - 11.6”

ProBook 11EETouch: No

Contact Softchoice for device recommendations, or to request a quote. 1.800.268.7638

*All prices in CA$

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Licensing Options and Upgrade Changes

Introducing New Licensing Options for Education

Unlike previous Windows operating systems, Windows 10 now

has licensing specifically for Education. The new Windows 10

Education includes all of the functionality of the Enterprise edition,

while allowing in-place upgrades from Windows 10 Home or Pro.

Windows 10 Education builds on Windows 10 Pro by adding

enterprise-grade features to address the advanced security and

comprehensive device control & management needs of today’s

educational institutions. It’s built to simplify deployment in the

education space, providing a direct path for many devices to

upgrade from Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro, without

the need to wipe and reload the OS. Windows 10 Education

will be made available through academic volume licensing.

Windows 10 Education includes Current Branch with programmatic

entitlements to Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 8.1 Enterprise

for customers desiring a previous version. MDOP is included as a

standard component of the Education offering, at no additional

cost, to help administrators manage their IT environments.

With Windows 10 Education, Student Use Benefit is a licensing

benefit of the EES, OVS-ES, and School programs. When institutions

license faculty and staff at full coverage, students are granted a

free upgrade to Education edition.

For more information on licensing options, see Page 14 of this guide.

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Windows-as-a-Service, Software Updates and the “End of Service Packs”

Microsoft is changing the way it delivers software updates with Windows 10. Security patches will continue regularly, as needed. But

instead of waiting years for new features and fixes to be bundled into massive “Service Packs,” Microsoft will release these regularly,

and more responsively, in a new approach they are dubbing “Windows-as-a-Service.” The new direction will ensure problems and

features are delivered faster and more efficiently than previously possible.

Windows-as-a-Service requires organizations to rethink how they deploy and upgrade Windows. It is no longer a project that happens

“every few years”; it is a continual process.

By combining these simpler methods (for example, in-place upgrade) with new techniques to deploy in phases to existing devices,

you can reduce the amount of effort required overall.

Is the end of Service Packs good or bad news?This depends on who you ask.

Many pundits applaud this change for ensuring the operating system can fix its errors faster. That said, it also potentially spells

trouble for larger businesses that require longer test and dev times of new releases to ensure application compatibility. So what

are they to do?

Frequency of Updates – On Autopilot or Manual?Microsoft still needs to address the concerns of larger organizations that are slower to adopt updates due to stability issues.

There are now three distinct paths you can select for receiving updates.

1. Automatic: As with consumer versions, all updates come immediately, without any input from IT or end user.

2. Short term, “Current Branch Release” (recommended by Microsoft for educational institutions): This enables you to hold back

updates until the timing is right in your semester. It gives you the opportunity to test out applications, and (most importantly) roll

out updates at a time that will have minimum impact on teachers and students.

3. Long Branch: Delay updates until your school is prepared to upgrade. You will need to purchase Software Assurance for this.

Note: Long Branch option not available with Windows 10 Education edition. You would need to use the LTSB bits in Windows 10

Enterprise. Consult with our Microsoft licensing experts for more info.

Licensing Options and Upgrade Changes

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Licensing Options for Educational Institutions The Academic Volume Licensing program that is best for you depends on the size and type of your institution, and how you

want to acquire Microsoft licenses and Online Services. There are two types of programs available: subscription and perpetual.

Licensing Options and Upgrade Changes

SUBSCRIPTION LICENSING

Subscription licensing allows you use the products that you

license—plus covered upgrades and downgrades—over the

licensing period. Subscription licensing is great for schools

that want:

• Access to the latest technology at the lowest upfront cost

• The convenience of counting people or computers

once per year

• Easy compliance by knowing all users or computers

are licensed for the year

• Automatic Software Assurance coverage

PERPETUAL LICENSING

Perpetual licensing allows you to purchase software licenses

so your organization has rights to the software after the

licensing term ends. Perpetual licensing is great for schools

that want:

• To own their software licenses

• Transactional-based purchases of licenses

in specific quantities

• Optional Software Assurance coverage

Compare programs

ENROLLMENT FOR EDUCATION SOLUTIONS

Program type and term length

Institution type

Institution size

Subscription

Primary and SecondarySchools and Districts

5-249 Computers

Perpetual

Higher Education

Agreement/Enrollment Term 1 or 3 years 1 or 3 years 2 years none none

SCHOOLENROLLMENT

OPEN LICENSEFOR ACADEMIC MPSA SELECT PLUS

FOR ACADEMIC

For a full comparison, including details on Software Assurance and other important options, click here

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How students can get Windows 10 for free!

If you license Windows 10 for faculty and staff at full coverage through an EES, OVS-ES, or School programs, students are granted

a free upgrade to the Windows 10 Education edition.

Learn more here.

Licensing Options and Upgrade Changes

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Deployment

If the time is right for an upgrade to Windows 10, understanding your options for implementing the new software is crucial. Picking

the wrong licensing and implementation path has proven costly for many institutions that didn’t have proper insight and methodology.

Readiness: How to determine if your environment is ready to deployUnderstanding if your environment is ready, and highlighting where your requirements fall short is the first step in making sure your

deployment goes smoothly. Microsoft offers an essential planning asset to get this process started, called the Microsoft Assessment

and Planning Toolkit, or MAPS.

This toolkit makes it easy to assess your current IT infrastructure for a variety of technology migration projects. This Solution Accelerator

provides a powerful inventory, assessment, and reporting tool to simplify the migration planning process.

After MAPS, your next task is designing and completing a Proof of Concept. With Windows 10, this has become easier with an option to

do an “in-place upgrade,” a far less disruptive tactic in imaging your new OS environment. At this stage you’ll want to focus on ap-

plication and Internet Explorer 11 compatibility, to ensure your existing applications and workflows can function unimpeded. Microsoft

is promising an exceptionally high rate of application compatibility, making this process relatively painless.

2 Steps to Windows 10 readiness1. Run the Microsoft Assessment Planning Toolkit

2. Complete a Proof of Concept, ensuring application compatibility

Deployment OptionsAbove we mentioned how easy In-Place Upgrades are with Windows 10. This is not the only path at your disposal. Deciding which

way to go will have different implications for your timelines, and planning, so take careful consideration at this stage.

Below are the options for deploying Windows 10, with details on which tools will be required for each one.

Wipe and Load (traditional process)

In-Place Upgrade *Provisioning

(Configure new devices)

• Capture data and settings• Deploy Windows 10 image• Inject Drivers• Install apps• Restore data and settings

• Preserve all data, settings, apps, drivers

• Install Windows 10 image• Restore Everything

• Apply a Provisioning Package to transform an out of box Windows 10 device into an Enterprise device

• Remove extra items, add organizational apps, adjust configuration

• Provisioning is NOT re-imaging, but rather applying Provisioning package to adjust Windows 10 as necessary

Tools: SCCM, MDT, WDS, and third party imaging tools

Tools: SCCM, MDT, WDS, third party imaging tools, Windows Update

Tools: Windows Imaging and Configuration Designer (WICD)

* Recommended for existing Windows 7, 8, 8.1 devices

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Training and Resources for TeachersMicrosoft has rolled out a new Microsoft Educator

Community site designed to help over 1.5 million

teachers worldwide grow their professional

careers, collaborate with others, and prepare

their students for a technology-infused future.

Get TrainedStay current with the right mix of student-focused

technology, experiential learning, and virtual

collaboration to help your students learn and

grow. Find quick tip videos, online courses,

and other resources on how to use technology

in the classroom.

Find a LessonExplore lesson plans created by educators

and experts from across the globe. From

Creative Coding to the basics of Office,

there are hundreds of courses available

to meet your specific classroom needs.

Deployment

Getting Started

Connect with us today. 1.800.268.7638 | www.softchoice.com @softchoice /softchoice

This guide only scratches the surface of the questions you should answer before deciding on

Windows 10 upgrade. As a top Microsoft partner in North America, Softchoice has expertise in:

Contact Softchoice today to understand the best path forward with Windows 10 for your school.

Microsoft enterprise licensing

Data-driven assessments for objective

understanding of usage and needs

End-to-end deployment services, including

rolling out new devices

company/softchoice

About Us

Softchoice is a leading North American services and solutions provider, offering professional services, procurement and architecture excellence to help academic institutions unleash their potential through technology. With a loaded bench of Microsoft technical experts, we are the leading Enterprise Agreement reseller in the United States and Canada, and we offer a series of non-biased data-driven assessments to help schools chart the best path for their needs.