There’s been a lot of hubbub made over Windows 10’s abilities to share operational data with Microsoft. In a recent article, Ed Bott makes a great case for keeping telemetry (or certain portions of it) enabled. I sat in presentations about Windows 10 telemetry in Redmond this year, and if you could also only sit through those same presentations, you’d agree with me that there’s nothing nefarious about what data Microsoft is gathering and what the company’s intentions truly are. Ironically, the same people complaining about Windows 10 telemetry, continue to use Gmail. Someone said it best today on Twitter in relation to the data collected by the Microsoft Band fitness wearable. The person said, “Microsoft has had my sleep data for months now and I’ve yet to see an advertisement for pillows.” Now, just imagine what Google would do with that information.
In September, Microsoft – through the blog pen of Terry Myerson (or, whoever ghost blogs for him) – indicated that it would be developing ways for Enterprise Customers to Be Able to Disable Windows 10 Telemetry. This was just after we provided prescriptive guidance on how to Turn Off Telemetry in Windows 7, 8, and Windows 10.
Microsoft is preparing to deliver its first major update to Windows 10 next week, mostly likely on Patch Tuesday. Included in this update, and beyond the sorely needed bug fixes, will be some of the promised business pieces for Windows 10. Windows Update for Business, a Windows Store for Business, better deployment options, and many other business focused features will be included.
And, amid the update, Microsoft will also deliver options for those using GPO, Configuration Manager, and other mechanisms to configure and manage telemetry data. A TechNet doc called Configure telemetry and other settings in your organization, explains each telemetry area and tells how to manage each one.
