

Here, Windows 10 LTSC makes it possible to ensure legacy systems work as intended while still taking advantage of some key Windows 10 features, such as new security protocols and virtual desktops. These technologies are often resistant to change alterations in operating system interfaces or commands can cause significant slowdowns or outright failure. It’s worth noting that because Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC and the current Windows 10 Enterprise versions have unique SKUs, businesses must upgrade their OSs when they’re done with LTSC.ĭespite the push toward cloud-based, always-connected systems, more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies still leverage legacy technologies and services to perform mission-critical tasks.

Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC (equivalent to Windows 10 version 1809).Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSC (equivalent to Windows 10 version 1607).Windows 10 Enterprise 2015 LTSC (equivalent to Windows 10 version 1507).As noted by Windows as a Service evangelist John Wilcox in a recent Microsoft Tech Community post, “we create a new LTSC release approximately every three years, and each release contains all the new capabilities and support included in the Windows 10 feature updates that have been released since the previous LTSC release.”Ĭurrently, there are three versions of the Windows 10 LTSC: Windows 10 LTSC releases are “frozen” in functional time - what companies see is what they get, no matter what updates are applied later to the live version of Windows 10. MORE FROM BIZTECH: Discover everything you need to know about Windows 10 with BizTech's comprehensive guide! What is Windows 10 LTSC? While basic Microsoft support is provided, Windows 10 LTSC versions receive no updates, ensuring their features and functionality never change.įor businesses considering the switch to Windows 10 - or that have already made the move and like the stability of their current Windows version - when does it make sense to implement LTSC? What are the benefits and drawbacks? How do companies deploy this static solution? Companies deploying LTSC iterations can effectively lock their OS at a single point in time. Recognizing the need for this kind of stability, Microsoft created the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC). 14 looms.īut why the disconnect? Why the continued dedication to a dying OS? For businesses, upgrade reticence often stems from familiarity: Their existing Windows deployment does exactly what they want it to, and they don’t want that to change. Windows 7, meanwhile, continues to hang on, with 26 percent, even as the end of long-term support on Jan. As of July 2019, just over 68 percent of all active Windows devices were running this OS version, up 15 percent from a year earlier.
