Through the Surface Management Portal, admins self-manage and monitor Surface devices across a team or organization. Through actionable insights, users see the health of all devices and can also keep up with warranty and support requirements from a central hub. Microsoft says the portal is designed to help managers handle the specific demands of hybrid workplaces for device management: “With one quick view, you can now access essential insights such as low device storage, non-compliant devices, inactive devices, unencrypted devices, and information of all Surface devices that needs immediate action. Managing warranty and support requests are as simple as a click of a button. We have created one simplified view to highlight device status and enable faster troubleshooting.”
Surface Health
The Management Portal arrives at an interesting time for the Surface brand. Microsoft has recently launched its latest generation of Surface devices, including the Surface Duo 2 smartphone, Surface Pro 8, and the flagship Surface Laptop Studio. However, the Surface brand is one of the few divisions of Microsoft business empire that is losing money. While Xbox and Windows thrive on the consumer side, and Microsoft 365 and Azure enjoy consistent growth in enterprise, Surface seems to be stagnant. During Microsoft’s latest – FY22 Q1 – earnings call, the company revealed Surface revenue fell 17% year-on-year. This follows a recent trend of consistent declines for the hardware brand. Considering Microsoft’s massive success in other areas, the company is probably willing to ride the losses from Surface. Tip of the day: Do you get flooded by notifications in Windows 10 from apps and want to disable them completely or just the notification sound? Our tutorial shows you how to do this. As an alternative you can also configure Windows 10 Focus Assist (Do Not Disturb Mode) and set quiet hours.
