Microsoft’s Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC 2019 has quickly grown to become the most popular Windows IoT product. The Long-Term Service Channel (LTSC) IoT products are designed specifically for purpose-built appliances and devices that need 10 years of support (ATMs, kiosks, medical devices, signage systems, and industrial controls). Microsoft’s future roadmap includes releasing new LTSC editions every two to three years, and the new LTSC 2021 product arrives right at the three-year mark.
Microsoft also recently announced that the 10-year life cycle of the Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC product would reduce to five years, catching many of our OEM customers by surprise. Microsoft later clarified that this reduction was only for the Open Volume channel edition intended for general-purpose desktop and notebook devices and not for the “IoT” version. The Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC products will continue to have a 10-year support cycle.
| Product | Launched | End of Life | End of Support |
| Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB 2015 | 07/29/2015 | 07/31/2025 | 10/14/2025 |
| Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB 2016 | 08/02/2016 | 07/31/2026 | 10/13/2026 |
| Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2019 | 11/13/2018 | 11/30/2028 | 01/09/2029 |
| Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 | Est. Oct. 2021 | TBD | Est. Oct. 2031 |
In their blog on the Windows 10 IoT Long-Term Servicing Channel upcoming availability, Microsoft states:
“While Windows 10 Client is changing, the needs of the IoT industry remain very different, and for that reason, Microsoft developed Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC. This “IoT” product will continue to have a 10-year support lifecycle, as documented on our Lifecycle datasheet.”
Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC Road Map
OEMs starting to test out an LTSC product for a new product should contact us. We can help you gain access to this new LTSC 2021 product today. For OEMs using the LTSB/LTSC family of products, pay close attention to the dates on the roadmap above and plan accordingly. We can walk you through the options for migrating from older Windows products such as Windows Embedded Standard 7 to the latest Windows 10 IoT Enterprise products.
What is New with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021?
Based on OEM customer feedback, Microsoft is now converging the best of Windows 10 IoT Core with the best of Windows 10 IoT Enterprise to bring you the brand-new Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 product.
This new version offers a reduced footprint allowing much smaller storage options to reduce the overall cost of your OEM appliance device. We expect an expanded range of compatible hardware devices, including Intel and ARM x64. The focus on expanding the Azure IoT Edge support and a new ability to run Linux workloads in containers will increase the possibilities of OEM device types and applications.
| Customer Feedback | IoT Core | IoT Enterprise | IoT Enterprise 2021 | Value Prop |
| Better Azure IoT Edge support | X | Run Linux version of Azure IoT Edge on Windows (EFLOW) | ||
| Run Linux workloads in Containers | X | Run Linux AI modules from Azure Marketplace (EFLOW) | ||
| Ful range of Intel silicon | X | X | Support device portfolio expansion | |
| Small footprint | X | X | Min HW spec = 16GB/2GB, smaller than current IoT Enterprise, but not as small as IoT Core (4GB/1GB) | |
| Appliances features | X | X | More lockdown & branding control | |
| OEM controlled update | X | X | Validate & manage updates using Device Update Center | |
| On-prem device management | X | X | Manage devices with familiar SCCM and WSUS tools | |
| Full Win32 support | X | X | Leverage existing Win32 software & expertise |
References
- Windows 10 IoT Long Term Servicing Channel upcoming availability
- Getting Started with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise
- Search Product and Services Lifecycle Information
