Grissom nears completion of Windows 10 upgrades Published Nov. 29, 2017 By Senior Airman Harrison Withrow 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- The Air Force Reserve-wide upgrade to Windows 10 is finally nearing completion at Grissom. The 434th Communications Squadron was tasked by Air Force Reserve Command to upgrade all workstations on base to Windows 10 by the end of calendar year 2017. “Grissom is leading the pack when it comes to getting all of our machines upgraded,” said Rich Percival, 434th CS customer service representative. “We have a total of roughly 1,400 computers, and we just passed 1,100 completed. “Most bases are in the 800 range right now, so Grissom is doing very well,” he added. As with most software changes pushed out by AFRC, the goal behind the Windows 10 upgrade is increased security, Percival said. “Windows 7 had some vulnerabilities that were never really addressed,” he said. “Currently, Windows 10 is looking to be a more secure platform, so the decision was made to switch everyone over.” Behind the upgrade is a team of technicians, including Tech. Sgt. Sean Stump, 434th CS network operations technician, who individually upgrades every computer to the new standards. “We take each computer and wipe the hard drive, or back it up if we need to,” said Stump. “Then we load our Windows 10 image onto it, and it’s good to go.” An “image” is a copy of a computer’s operating system that can be cloned onto other machines an infinite number of times so that each one is functionally identical. “The upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 is pretty straightforward,” said Stump. “Where most of the workload comes from is installing all the software that belongs on any given computer.” Many offices throughout Grissom have unique needs when it comes to software used to perform their jobs, he said. “We might be loading accounting software for travel pay, or an Adobe suite for public affairs,” said Stump. “The most time-consuming one so far was the Civil Engineering computers with all of the modeling and design software, which took about eight hours each.” For Percival and his team, working on Grissom’s 1,400 workstations is never truly finished. “Once we push our last Windows 10 upgrade out the door, it’ll be time to start preparation for the zero-client machines,” he said. “Some people, their laptop might barely hit the desk before it heads back to us. “The good news is that the zero clients will be the most secure and stable platform we’ve had yet,” he added. Zero clients are a new form of workstation where the user’s software and operating system sit on a central server rather than the local box. The benefit of this is that all of the user data is stored in a secure location, and updates and repairs can be made for everyone at once. “There are both advantages and disadvantages to zero clients, but the biggest advantage is that you will never lose your data,” said Percival. “Every time you save something, it gets backed up to cloud storage, and it’ll still be there even if your device breaks.” With the rapid pace of changing technology and the emergence of new threats to cybersecurity, Air Force communications technicians are more important now than they have ever been, and the the Reserve-wide operating system upgrade demonstrates that need.
