Members of the Windows Insider Program can get the new features now. Among the additions to Windows Autopilot is a “Self-Deploying mode” which provides more zero-touch tools when deploying a device. Users will no longer need to do anything to set their Windows 10 device up in an enterprise environment. Brad Anderson, Corporate Vice President of Enterprise Mobility and Security for Microsoft says IT pros can also “configure the device to self-deploy into a locked down kiosk, a digital signage, or a shared productivity device.” Microsoft has also included a new reset feature in Windows Autopilot. This allows the service to integrate with Intune on a Windows 10 device to reset the hardware and redeploy it in a business setup.
It is worth pointing out that these feature are only in preview for Insider members. You will need to have Microsoft’s Intune and be updated up to Windows 10 build 17686, which is on the Fast Ring.
April Update Improvements
Microsoft also discussed the changes it has made with the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. That feature upgrade for Windows (version 1803) started its rollout at the start of last month. It is arriving in stages, so Autopilot users can expect the following features: “Enrollment Status page We received tons of feedback from Windows Autopilot customers who want the ability to hold the device in the out-of-box setup experience until the configured policies and apps have been provisioned to the device. This enables IT admins to be assured the device is configured into a fully business-ready state prior to users getting to the desktop. This is made possible with a capability called “Enrollment Status” and is available today with Windows 10 April 2018 Update (version 1803) and Microsoft Intune. Device vendor supply chain integration We enabled Windows 10 OEMs and hardware vendors to integrate Windows Autopilot into their supply chain and fulfillment systems so that devices are registered in Windows Autopilot to your organization the moment your purchase is fulfilled. This makes the registration of Windows Autopilot devices completely hands-free and zero-touch for you as well as your device vendor/OEM. Contact your device reseller to find out if they are supporting Windows Autopilot. Automatic Windows Autopilot profile assignment We integrated Azure Active Directory (AD) dynamic groups with Windows Autopilot and Microsoft Intune to deliver a zero-touch experience for Windows Autopilot profile assignments on all Windows Autopilot devices.”
