With the release of DPC V4 coming in the next few weeks, we’re excited to reveal some of the new (heavily requested!) features and capabilities we’ve added to the solution. To explain the latest changes (and some surprise additions) Enterprise Mobility Expert and Microsoft MVP Richard Hicks will join our Head of Identity and Access Leo D’Arcy on our next webinar.  They’ll answer your questions around AOVPN, demo some new features of DPC and talk through the latest updates. In these sessions Leo and Richard will cover: Welcome and Intro What’s new in V4? Demo of DPC on Windows 11 Demo ..read more

Announcing the free PowerON Azure Key Vault Azure DevOps Pipeline Extension! Starting on the 1st of June 2023 it will no longer be possible to request a code signing certificate from a publicly trusted certificate authority without the use of a Hardware Security Module (HSM). This means that it will no longer be possible to get a code signing certificate in the standard .pfx format as the private key will always have to be stored on a secure HSM. While this is good for security and the overall industry, this can cause significant disruption to existing build and release processes within an ..read more

We’re continuing the update of our Windows update management blogs – this time it’s infrastructure and preparation!  We’re releasing all of our content that was previously sat behind a form – so no more emails! But if you’d rather view the original, click here. Infrastructure So let’s touch on the infrastructure required to support Windows as a service. Your infrastructure must support your chosen servicing tool’s requirements, with a defined process to keep these tools updated and secured. If you use Configuration Manager, is it on the Current Branch with the latest release install ..read more

Okay, so you’re not really interested in moving to Windows 11 yet. After all, you could stay on Windows 10 until 2024 in theory… but there are a few reasons you probably shouldn’t wait that long!  We’ve all been in this situation before, and those EOS deadlines come around fast. In my recent webinar I broke down a few reasons why you should start planning now (and stop waiting ’til 2024!).  Check out this short video for more! (Want to watch the rest of the webinar? Click here to watch the full session.)  It’s all well and good talking about Windows 11, but you might have ..read more

If you’re considering working for PowerON – or even just idly checking out the competition – you’re probably interested in our benefits offering.  Our view on benefits has always been that they should support wellbeing and your life outside work.  For 2023 onwards, we’re taking that up a level!  Our offering is based around the PowerON Benefits Triangle, covering core ‘security, wellbeing and career’ benefits, time away from work, and an adjustable ‘my life’ flex package.  We believe that everyone should receive a core level of support and security, be supported in time ..read more

It’s been a while since we covered Windows as a service, and a lot has changed! We’ve had Windows 11, Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) thrown in the mix, along with a few name changes and tooling improvements along the way. So how does this impact your management of the Windows lifecycle?   In this series we’re going to update our previous advice on update management – this blog will cover:  A quick refresher on update types (and how they’ve changed)  Update deployment  Service tools overview  Which servicing tools are right for you?  Helpful ..read more

Microsoft will remove support for Windows 10 in 2025. Seems a long way off, doesn’t it?    But we’ve all been in this situation before, and those EOS deadlines come around fast. A lack of preparedness made the transition to Windows 10 difficult for many organisations, and some are still feeling the effects even now.    Upgrading to Windows 11 is a simpler process, but IT estates are more complex than ever. And we can all agree, these projects are rarely straightforward!    It’s time to do things differently…    That’s why our CTO, Steve Beaumont, wil ..read more

Wanted: Delivery Engineer Who does a job like this? As a Delivery Engineer in the Service Operations team, you will support PowerON and our customers with the confident management of all Tier 2 and 3 tickets, working both autonomously and as part of a team. The Service Operations team delivers our Managed Services, provides customer support via our Enablement Support offering, and provides internal IT support to the PowerON team. Within this team, the Delivery Engineers support the Support Engineers with ticket escalations, and deliver scoped work for customers.  What’s in it for you? Fr ..read more

Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) has been around for a while, but the addition of Windows 365 to Microsoft’s solutions has caused a lot of questions. Namely, what’s the difference between the two? And when would I choose one over the other? Last week I broke down some use cases and examples for Windows 365, so of course in this post I’ll do the same for Azure Virtual Desktop. I’ll cover: What AVD is good for What it’s not so good for Use case scenarios in which you’d choose AVD over Windows 365 What is AVD Good For? Application publishing A great benefit is being able to publish out traditional ..read more

Windows 365, Microsoft’s cloud PC solution, has been out for just over a year now – but we still get a lot of questions on what it actually does. Most commonly we get asked what the difference between Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop is, and when you might choose one over the other.   I’ve broken down a few examples and use cases below to provide some more info!  What can you use Windows 365 for?  Windows 365 is good for bringing the same experience as a physical laptop or desktop, to a remotely ‘accessible from anywhere’ environment that maintains your company’s sec ..read more