How to purchase Win 10 Enterprise?

[Fallen Kell]

Ok, so I have been trying to find this and can not seem to find anywhere that has a straight up answer. I will not upgrade to any edition of Windows 10 which does not allow me to turn off automated updates or can't turn off telemetry data. That being said, Enterprise edition does seem to have these features setup in the proper way with you being able to control them.

So, how in the world do I purchase this version for my systems?

 

[Elixer]

I thought you can't actually buy it, instead, you purchase a license for X months to use it.
Places like CDW or the like handle it for businesses.

 

[Anteaus]

Ok, so I have been trying to find this and can not seem to find anywhere that has a straight up answer. I will not upgrade to any edition of Windows 10 which does not allow me to turn off automated updates or can't turn off telemetry data. That being said, Enterprise edition does seem to have these features setup in the proper way with you being able to control them.

So, how in the world do I purchase this version for my systems?

Enterprise is volume license only. There is no way you can legally purchase a single end user copy. That said, if you feel righteous enough then you have the option to buy a volume license and spend way more than you would otherwise need to. You are trying to prove a point, right?

 

[Chiropteran]

For $475 you can purchase the Action Pack, which includes 10 Windows 10 Enterprise Licenses (technically considered upgrades, as you are only supposed to install them on a PC that already has some other windows license, but you do indeed get the full install .iso).

Action Pack also comes with a license for Windows Server, Office 365 E3, some Azure credit, and licenses for a few other misc. softwares.

You need to have a business name, but you can basically just use your last name. There is no checking or anything.

$475 isn't cheap, but it is probably cheapest way to get legit copies of Windows 10 Enterprise.

 

[Anteaus]

For $475 you can purchase the Action Pack, which includes 10 Windows 10 Enterprise Licenses (technically considered upgrades, as you are only supposed to install them on a PC that already has some other windows license, but you do indeed get the full install .iso).

Action Pack also comes with a license for Windows Server, Office 365 E3, some Azure credit, and licenses for a few other misc. softwares.

You need to have a business name, but you can basically just use your last name. There is no checking or anything.

$475 isn't cheap, but it is probably cheapest way to get legit copies of Windows 10 Enterprise.

That's $475 per year. Enterprise products are not marketed to individuals and their pricing structure is designed to reflect that.

"Partners can qualify for the Action Pack, if they confirm to Microsoft that they sell more than 75 percent of their products and services to customers outside their own company, among other restrictions. The $475-per-year subscription gets a partner enough client and server software licenses and cloud seats to run a 10-person business. The Action Pack includes 10 upgrade licenses to Windows 10 Enterprise edition."

https://rcpmag.com/blogs/scott-bekker/2015/08/windows-10-enterprise-action-pack.aspx

 

[Chiropteran]

That's $475 per year. Enterprise products are not marketed to individuals and their pricing structure is designed to reflect that.

"Partners can qualify for the Action Pack, if they confirm to Microsoft that they sell more than 75 percent of their products and services to customers outside their own company, among other restrictions. The $475-per-year subscription gets a partner enough client and server software licenses and cloud seats to run a 10-person business. The Action Pack includes 10 upgrade licenses to Windows 10 Enterprise edition."

https://rcpmag.com/blogs/scott-bekker/2015/08/windows-10-enterprise-action-pack.aspx

75% of 0 is 0

You are correct that it is $475 per year. I still believe it's the cheapest choice. If you know a cheaper way to obtain legit Windows 10 Enterprise licenses, please share.

 

[Fallen Kell]

The action pack doesn't sound like a bad idea. I remember getting a similar thing back in the day (circa ~2000 which came with permanent licenses for Win98se, ME, NT, and 2000). But I will have to look into all the details.

 

[Anteaus]

The question is, is it worth spending all of that money purely to get around telemetry and updates? Wouldn't it be simpler just to block those ports with a firewall?

I completely understand when people have strong opinions as to how Microsoft is handling themselves regarding Windows 10. The better way to make a stand would be to stop using Windows. To me, buying enterprise licenses in this case would only undermine things, as it validates what MS has done while earning them dramatically higher profits from your usage of their product. *shrug

 

[RampantAndroid]

Wait...can't Pro do the same stuff via group policy?

Either way, another option (and it's one that isn't terribly practical) is an MSDN subscription - I just checked mine and it has a multi-activation enterprise key. But a standard subscription is $1200/year.

 

[Fallen Kell]

If Pro can at the minimum disable the automatic download of updates and drivers and let me install the specific versions I specify, then I might be fine simply upgrading my existing boxes. I will read up more on the firewall rules to disable telemetry (I have some in place already since MS ported a bunch of that back to Win 7 already).

 

[RampantAndroid]

Much of what you want should be possible using gpedit.msc (or regedit, if you know the locations of each policy):

https://technet.microsoft.com/itpro/windows/manage/disconnect-your-organization-from-microsoft