Windows Autopilot overview
Windows Autopilot is a provisioning method for modern devices. It is not OSD in the traditional manner. Windows Autopilot requires a cloud identity and cloud device identity, which can be either a hybrid Entra ID join or an Entra ID join. In this book, we will only cover Windows Autopilot with Entra ID-joined devices, as this is the cloud-native solution recommended by Microsoft when talking about brand-new devices.
Figure 7.1: Autopilot process
You get started with Autopilot by getting your devices uploaded to the Autopilot service, creating and assigning an Autopilot profile, and then creating and assigning an ESP profile (this step is optional but recommended).
After your device is shipped, the user simply has to enter their credentials before automatic enrollment starts. It is as simple as that.
Figure 7.2: Autopilot welcome screen
After entering the correct credentials, you will be met by the Entra ID sign-in workflow...