Microsoft announces Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024

I am thrilled to announce that Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 is here! - the next evolution in Microsoft's innovative IoT platform designed to empower device makers with unparalleled intelligence, security, and flexibility at the edge. With the culmination of feature sets from previous releases and added innovation, Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 brings exciting capabilities to the next generation of fixed-purpose devices and ensures a stable and secure platform, as with previous LTSC releases.

New Features Spotlight

With the new release comes access to highly anticipated Windows 11 feature developments. We are bringing more flexibility to device makers with updated IoT hardware requirements, enabling more device types that allow us to light up a broader market. Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 expands the number of removable packages to 36, further empowering device makers to customize the OS to create the perfect platform for even resource constrained devices. For a complete list and details on these features please refer to What’s New on the release page here.

Enhanced Security and Compliance

Security is paramount for us at Microsoft and with the onset of new cybersecurity regulations across the globe has become increasingly important for the IoT ecosystem. Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 benefits from the latest Windows security investments and adopts a secure-by-default approach.

By leveraging hardware features such as Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) and Virtualization-Based Security, Windows delivers security enhancements such as protecting credentials even against privileged system processes, secure and measured boot to detect and prevent rootkits, and Windows Defender Application Control for limiting execution to only specific signed apps.

Enhanced with Windows Defender Antivirus, as well as authentication improvements (including web and federated sign-in), the platform ensures protection against malware, zero-day exploits, and unauthorized access. A full list of security features can be found here.

The Edge Secured-Core program empowers customers to confidently source highly-secured Windows IoT devices by enabling hardware partners to certify that their devices are secure-by-design and take advantage of the Windows’ leading security capabilities. If you are building devices with Windows 11 IoT, we encourage you to learn more about the program requirements and get your applicable devices certified.

Efficient Management and Servicing

Simplified deployment and management are key to maximizing operational efficiency and minimizing downtime. Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 offers seamless integration with Microsoft Intune, enabling organizations to streamline device provisioning, configuration, and monitoring the same way they would with Windows 10/11.

Windows Update delivery optimization helps reduce the bandwidth required to take quality updates and provides policies to configure optimization settings for a custom solution. Update controls also allow admins to control update notifications, such as turning them off during business hours.

Streamlined User Experience and Accessibility

Windows 11 introduced a brand new, but familiar UI with design principles and user flows focused on making users more productive and making the OS accessible to all. Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 brings new components like the taskbar overflow menu and File Explorer tabs to streamline tasks and maximize productivity. It also improves accessibility by introducing system-wide live captions and voice access. In addition, braille displays now work seamlessly across multiple screen readers, and Narrator supports new braille input and output languages to simplify the end user experience.

Improved Performance and Compatibility

Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 delivers enhanced performance and compatibility, enabling organizations to leverage existing investments in hardware and software. It preserves the application promise made with Windows operating systems and doesn’t require changes to existing support processes or tooling to build, deploy or keep your applications up to date. It also adds support for running x64 applications without modification on processors, streamlining the development experience and reducing time to market on Arm64 platforms.

IoT Ready!

As industries continue to embrace the power of IoT, Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 stands ready to meet the evolving demands of the modern world, offering enhanced security, streamlined deployment and management, advanced edge computing capabilities, improved performance, and compatibility. With its comprehensive suite of features and seamless integration with management services, Windows 11 IoT Enterprise empowers organizations to unlock new levels of innovation and intelligence at the edge, driving digital transformation and fueling growth in the IoT ecosystem.