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Evergreen! Doesn't that sound lovely? Green all year round. But
what about Evergreen IT? Is that a good thing? I, the eternal
optimist, say YES! But you must understand it, stay on top of it
and plan for it, or you'll never enjoy the ride. Let's get started.
Understand It
Evergreen IT refers to systems on a path of regular updates,
and they are perpetually current. Microso is commied to an
"evergreen" path, which means they will no longer be the soware
company lumbering far behind everyone else with updates and
product releases. The frenetic pace of change is freaking out
some people and causing uncertainty about possible unwanted
or unscheduled changes in enterprise environments. However,
this unleashes the potential for fewer massive and expensive
migrations.
Stay on Top of It
The challenge is in front of us. The pace of updates is forcing
change in the way law firms deal with them and the way third-
party legal soware companies update their products to keep up
with Microso. To adapt, we must know what's coming and when.
For example, for users of Office 365, Microso provides a road
map website that gives you a perspective on past and upcoming
releases. As of April 1, 2017, the site (hps://products.office.com/en-
us/business/office-365-roadmap) listed 143 fully released updates,
64 updates currently rolling out, 165 updates in development, nine
canceled updates and 525 previously released updates available for
all. This and similar sites are important for users to stay current
on technology changes. Knowledge is power!
Plan for It
Did you know it is possible to create a local installation point in
your environment, download the updates to that location and
control when the updates are released in your environment?
For example, by using System Center Configuration Manager
(SCCM), you can control what gets pushed out when and to
whom. Microso explains how to do this and more on Technet.
Unplanned Evergreen updates happening without preparation
could disrupt your environment, creating a drain on your internet
bandwidth as each machine individually checks and receives
these updates directly from Microso. Take control of this.
Enjoy the Ride
Is Evergreen IT bad? No. It is the new way of things. And it is way
overdue. If you understand it, stay on top of it and plan for it, you
can enjoy it. Evergreen is the new black! P2P
by Kenny Leckie of Traveling Coaches
EXTRAS
Evergreen Is the New Black
