{"id":2258,"date":"2018-11-26T21:54:20","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T04:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moderneuc.com\/?p=2258"},"modified":"2026-02-18T13:02:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T20:02:28","slug":"managing-windows-10-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jorgep.com\/blog\/managing-windows-10-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Windows 10 Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many businesses (especially large ones) have been using\u00a0 Windows Server Update Service (WSUS) with Software Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) or similar system to manage Windows updates to the end-point devices for a very long time.\u00a0 However many do not have a formalized process to\u00a0 update the O\/S\u00a0 on their devices.<\/p>\n

For the past 3 years or so\u00a0 Microsoft’s Windows 10 introduced\u00a0 automatically downloads and installs updates to make sure your device is secure and up to date.<\/p>\n

key challenges<\/h4>\n

As businesses adopt and migrate to Windows 10 they have to deal with three basic challenges:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Challenge<\/span><\/th>\nFeature Update<\/span><\/th>\nQuality Update<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Update Frequency<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nTwice\/Year<\/span><\/td>\nMonthly<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Critical applications need to be tested before deploying new updates\u00a0 to production devices.\u00a0 \u00a0A defined process for Release Management, and what to do when an issue is found need to be in place.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Size of Update<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nAverage: 4GB<\/span><\/td>\nAverage:\u00a0 1GB<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Getting the package\u00a0 to each device\u00a0 across the enterprise can prove taxing for your network.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max Deferral\u00a0 Time<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\n356 Days<\/span><\/td>\n30 days<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Feature and Quality updates are no longer optional, they are mandatory.\u00a0 Businesses must adopt a proper update cycle and process in order to reduce risk and maintain a healthy client environment.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Side note:
\n<\/em><\/span>As explained by Microsoft’s Mike Benson Blog Post on 7\/11\/2018<\/a>,\u00a0 outside the Quality Full Cumulative\u00a0Updates, there are two other smaller updates issued by Microsoft:\u00a0Express updates and\u00a0Delta updates.\u00a0 \u00a0 For the purpose of this article we will not talk about them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Deferring Updates (Discouraged Option)<\/h4>\n

If you have\u00a0 Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise devices, although strongly and highly discouraged<\/strong>,\u00a0 \u00a0Microsoft provides a mechanism for you to defer \/ postpone an update\u00a0 by pausing\u00a0 updates from being downloaded and installed for a certain number of days based on its type:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Category<\/span><\/th>\nMaximum deferral<\/span><\/th>\nDeferral increments<\/span><\/th>\nExample<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Feature Updates<\/span><\/td>\n365 days<\/span><\/td>\nDays<\/span><\/td>\nFrom Windows 10, version 1511 to version 1607 maximum was 180 days.<\/span>
\nFrom Windows 10, version 1703 to version 1809, the maximum is 365 days.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Quality Updates<\/span><\/td>\n30 days<\/span><\/td>\nDays<\/span><\/td>\nSecurity updates<\/span>
\nDrivers (optional)<\/span>
\nNon-security updates<\/span>
\nMicrosoft updates (Office,Visual Studio, etc.)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Please Note: if you disable Windows 10 Updates, your system will be at risk from attack and:<\/p>\n