Microsoft Surface and Zero-Touch deployment with Autopilot

Deploying computers across your business used to be a pretty straightforward process for IT teams, with standardized hardware and software fostering a one-size-fits-all approach to equipping the workforce. Today’s WFH workplace has turned endpoint device deployment into a complex, arduous process. The increasingly mobile workforce now uses a variety of company- or employee-owned devices.

The task of configuring endpoint devices with the proper applications, profiles, and security settings for each user places heavy demands on an already overburdened IT staff; that in itself could be Working from Home.

Deploying IT to a WFH workforce is a challenge that now has a solution,

For companies with hundreds or thousands of users, the time, cost, and productivity impact on the IT department and the overall organization can be massive. Not incidentally, the delays and disruptions associated with device configurations and deployments also frustrate the users of these systems. They just want to start using their new devices as quickly, easily, and efficiently as possible.

By leveraging the features built into Windows 10, along with a variety of cloud-based services and capabilities, Microsoft is pioneering “zero-touch.” This approach enables devices to go directly from HardSoft to company employees with the proper IT policies, settings, and applications preinstalled or ready to run when the user turns on the new Surface. Zero-touch deployment has moved from theory to reality for the Microsoft’s Surface Business portfolio, with laptops, tablets, 2-in-1s, and The Surface Studio desktop.

Surface is deployable straight out the box

These Microsoft Surface devices feature capabilities designed to exploit the awesome power of Windows 10 as well as a variety of Microsoft cloud services such as Azure or 365 to simplify deployments. The result is that users can take a factory-sealed device and have it business-ready in a matter of minutes. Zero-touch deployment is a critical component of Microsoft’s approach to endpoint management across the entire device Surface lifecycle. Microsoft has optimized its portfolio of Surface devices to take full advantage of Windows Autopilot as well as the full range of complementary Microsoft 365 services. Obviously, that’s not surprising, since Autopilot itself was designed for and initially tested on Surface.

Every Surface device ships straight from the factory enabled with Autopilot and with a clean, bloat-free Windows 10 image

Microsoft collects and stores the Device ID of each Surface sold and stores it in the cloud for device management and access. Each Surface device also ships with Office Professional Plus preinstalled, which speeds the overall Autopilot experience. As the very first Windows 10 device to test and enable Autopilot in its products, Microsoft has led the way in building a partner space to deliver these WFH zero-touch deployments.