toc

windows/deployment/update/define-update-strategy.md

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+---
+title: Define update strategy
+ms.reviewer: 
+manager: laurawi
+description: 
+keywords: updates, calendar, servicing, current, deployment, semi-annual channel, feature, quality, rings, insider, tools
+ms.prod: w10
+ms.mktglfcycl: manage
+audience: itpro
+author: jaimeo
+ms.localizationpriority: medium
+ms.audience: itpro
+author: jaimeo
+ms.topic: article
+ms.collection: M365-modern-desktop
+---
+
+# Define update strategy
+
+Traditionally, organizations treated the deployment of operating system updates (especially feature updates) as a discrete project that had a beginning, a middle, and an end. A release was "built" (usually in the form of an image) and then distributed to users and their devices.
+
+Today, more organizations are treating deployment as a continual process of updates which roll out across the organization in waves. In this approach, an update is plugged into this process and while it runs, you monitor for anomalies, errors, or user impact and respond as issues arise--withouth interrupting the entire process. Microsoft has been evolving its Windows 10 release cycles, update mechanisms, and relevant tools to support this model. Feature updates are released twice per year, around March and September. All releases of Windows 10 have 18 months of servicing for all editions. Fall releases of the Enterprise and Education editions have an additional 12 months of servicing for specific Windows 10 releases, for a total of 30 months from initial release.
+
+Though we encourage you to deploy every available release and maintain a fast cadence for some portion of your environment, we also recognize that you might have a large number of devices, and a need for little or no disruption, an so you might choose to update annually. The 18/30 month lifecycle cadence lets you to allow some portion of you environment to move faster while a majority can move less quickly.
+
+
+
+## Calendar approaches
+
+You can use a calendar approach for either a faster 18-month or twice-per-year cadence or a 30-month or annual cadence. Depending on company size, installing Windows 10 feature updates less often than once annually risks devices going out of service and becoming vulnerable to security threats, because they will stop receiving the monthly security updates.
+
+
+### Annual
+
+Here's a calendar showing an example schedule that applies one Windows 10 feature update per calendar year, aligned with Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager and Microsoft 365 Apps release cycles:
+
+![annual calendar](images/annual-calendar.png)
+
+This approach provides approximately twelve months of use from each feature update before the next update is due to be installed. By aligning to the Windows 10, version 20H2 feature update, each release will be serviced for 30 months from the time of availability, giving you more flexibility when applying future feature updates.  
+
+This cadence might be most suitable for you if any of these conditions apply:
+
+- You are just starting your journey with the Windows 10 servicing process. If you are unfamiliar with new processes that support Windows 10 servicing, moving from a once every 3-5 year project to a twice a year feature update process can be daunting. This approach gives you time to learn new approaches and tools to reduce effort and cost.
+- You want to wait and see how successful other companies are at adopting a Windows 10 feature update.  
+- You want to go quickly with feature updates, and want the ability to skip a feature update while keeping Windows 10 serviced in case business priorities change. Aligning to the Windows 10 feature update released in the *second* half of each calendar year, you get additional servicing for Windows 10 (30 months of servicing compared to 18 months).
+
+
+### Rapid
+
+This calendar shows an example schedule that installs each feature update as it is released, twice per year:
+
+![rapid calendar](images/rapid-calendar.png)
+
+This cadence might be best for you if these conditions apply:
+
+- You have a strong appetite for change.
+- You want to continuously update supporting infrastructure and unlock new scenarios.
+- Your organization has a large population of information workers that can use the latest features and functionality in Windows 10 and Office.
+- You have experience with feature updates for Windows 10.

windows/deployment/update/plan-define-readiness.md

@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+---
+title: Define readiness criteria
+ms.reviewer: 
+manager: laurawi
+description: Identify important roles and figure out how to classify apps
+keywords: updates, servicing, current, deployment, semi-annual channel, feature, quality, rings, insider, tools
+ms.prod: w10
+ms.mktglfcycl: manage
+audience: itpro
+author: jaimeo
+ms.localizationpriority: medium
+ms.audience: itpro
+author: jaimeo
+ms.topic: article
+ms.collection: M365-modern-desktop
+---
+
+# Define readiness criteria
+
+## Figure out roles and personnel
+
+Planning and managing a deployment involves a variety of distinct activies and roles best suited to each. As you plan, it's worth figuring out which roles you'll need to carry out the deployment and who should fill them. Different roles are active at various phases of a deployment. Depending on the size and complexity of your organization, some of the roles could be filled by the same person. However, it's best to have an established *process manager*, who will oversee all of the tasks for the deployment.
+
+### Process manager
+
+The process manager leads the update deployment process and has the authority to push the process forward--or halt it if necessary. They also have responsibilities in organizing these activities:
+
+
+|Compatibility workstream  |Deployment  |Capability and modernization  |
+|---------|---------|---------|
+|[Assigning application priority](#set-criteria-for-rating-apps)     |  Reviewing infrastructure requirements       | Determining infrastructure changes        |
+|Application assessment     | Validating infrastructure against requirements        | Determining configuration changes        |
+|Device assessment     |  Creating infrastructure update plan       | Create capability proposal        |
+
+It's the process manager's role to collect reports on remediation efforts, escalate failures, and to decide whether your environment is ready for pilot deployment and then broad deployment.
+
+
+This table sketches out one view of the other roles, with their responsibilities, relevant skills, and the deployment phases where they are needed:
+
+
+|Role  |Responsibilities  |Skills  |Active phases  |
+|---------|---------|---------|---------|
+|Process manager     | Manages the process end to end; ensures inputs and outputs are captures; ensures that activities progress        | IT service management        | Plan, prepare, pilot deployment, broad deployment        |
+|Application owner     | Define application test plan; assign user acceptance testers; certify the application         | Knowledge of critical and important applications        | Plan, prepare, pilot deployment        |
+|Application developer     | Ensure apps are developed to stay compatible with current Windows versions        | Application development; application remediation        | Plan, prepare        |
+|End-user computing     | Typically a group including infrastructure engineers or deployment engineers who ensure upgrade tools are compatible with Windows        | Bare-metal deployment; infrastructure management; application delivery; update management        | Plan, prepare, pilot deployment, broad deployment        |
+|Operations     | Ensure that support is available for current Windows version. Provide post-deployment support, including user communication and rollbacks.        | Platform security        | Prepare, pilot deployment, broad deployment        |
+|Security     | Review and approve the security baseline and tools        | Platform security        | Prepare, pilot deployment        |
+|Stakeholders     | Represent groups affected by updates, for example, heads of finance, end-user services, or change management        | Key decision maker for a business unit or department        | Plan, pilot deployment, broad deployment        |
+
+
+
+
+
+
+## Set criteria for rating apps
+
+Some apps in your environment are fundamental to your core business activities. Other apps help workers perform their roles, but aren’t critical to your business operations. Before you start inventorying and assessing the apps in your environment, you should establish some criteria for categorizing your apps, and then determine a priority for each. This will help you understand how best to deploy updates and how to resolve any issues that could arise.
+
+In the Prepare phase, you'll apply the criteria you define now to every app in your organization.
+
+Here's a suggested classification scheme:
+
+
+|Classification  |Definition|
+|---------|---------|
+|Critical     | The most vital applications that handle core business activities and processes. If these applications were not available, the business, or a business unit, couldn't function at all. |
+|Important     | Applications that individual staff members need to support their productivity. Downtime here would affect individual users, but would only have a minimal impact on the business.       |
+|Not important   | There is no impact on the business if these apps are not available for a while.        |
+
+Once you have classified your applications, you should agree what each classification means to the organization in terms of priority and severity. This will help ensure that you can triage problems with the right level of urgency. You should assign each app a time-based priority.
+
+Here's an example priority rating system; of course the specifics could vary for your organization:
+
+
+|Priority  |Definition  |
+|---------|---------|
+|1        | Any issues or risks identified must be investigated and resolved as soon as possible.        |
+|2     | Start investigating risks and issues within two business days and fix them *during* the current deployment cycle.    |
+|3     | Start investigating risks and issues within 10 business days. You don’t have to fix them all within the current deployment cycle. However, all issues must be fixed by the end of the next deployment cycle.        |
+|4     | Start investigating risks and issues within 20 business days. You can fix them in the current or any future development cycle.        |
+
+Related to priority, but distinct, is the concept of severity. You should define a severity ranking as well, based on how you feel a problem with an app should affect the deployment cycle.
+
+Here's an example:
+
+
+|Severity  |Effect  |
+|---------|---------|
+|1     | Work stoppage or loss of revenue        |
+|2     | Productivity loss for a business unit        |
+|3     | Productivity loss for individual users         |
+|4     | Minimal impact on users        |
+
+## Example: a large financial corporation
+
+Using the suggested scheme, a financial corporation might classify their apps like this:
+
+
+|App  |Classification  |
+|---------|---------|
+|Credit processing app     | Critical        |
+|Frontline customer service app     |  Critical       |
+|PDF viewer     | Important        |
+|Image processing app     | Not important        |
+
+Further, they might combine this classification with severity and priority rankings like this:
+
+
+|Classification  |Severity  |Priority  |Response  |
+|---------|---------|---------|---------|
+|Critical     |  1 or 2       |  1 or 2       | For 1, stop deployment until resolved; for 2, stop deployment for affected devices or users only.       |
+|Important     | 3 or 4        |  3 or 4       | For 3, continue deployment, even for affected devices, as long as there is workaround guidance.        |
+|Not important     |   4      | 4        |  Continue deployment for all devices.       |
+