We established contact with Microsoft Asia Pacific’s General Manager for it Windows Client Group, Richard Francis, recently and asked him how things were going on the Windows Vista front, why the noise by XP users and what to expect from 7, when it is eventually launched. Below are some of his responses.
CW Singapore: There are reports that some multinationals are waiting for Windows 7, rather than moving from Windows XP to Windows Vista. What is the actual situation from Microsoft’s perspective?
Richard Francis: We recommend that all customers plan adoption of Windows Vista to take advantage of the increased security, higher productivity, cost savings and improved efficiency it delivers. As Windows 7 does not include significant architectural changes, we expect that Windows 7 will run most if not all applications that run on Windows Vista. As such, the transition to Windows 7 should be straightforward for customers who move to Windows Vista in the interim.
In regard to enterprise deployment, using history as a guide, enterprise customers may want to take time to evaluate Windows 7 depending on their enterprise software deployment lifecycle. For some customers, adoption will happen within a few months of OS release, while others may take more time to complete their evaluation.
When considering plans for Windows deployment it is important that customers consider their evaluation and deployment timeline. It is also important to take into consideration which third party applications are important for them; application availability and support lifecycles of the respective software vendors, to ensure there is adequate vendor support, and to avoid the potential situation when your critical application is no longer supported on Windows XP while not yet supported on the new operating system, Windows 7. The analyst firm Gartner’s advisory to customers is aligned with this thinking. Gartner says “Skipping versions of Windows entirely generally increases the risk of having unsupported applications running on selected operating systems.” Hence, their recommendation is “Most organisations shouldn’t skip Windows Vista entirely”. Please see “Understand the Risks of Skipping Windows Vista” at mediaproducts.gartner.com/reprints/microsoft/vol4/article4/article4.html for more information.
What benefits should enterprises expect coming from Windows 7 that they don’t see from Windows Vista?
With Windows 7, Microsoft is building on the substantial investments the company has made in fundamentals through Windows Vista—improving security, reliability and performance while improving PC management and introducing compelling new experiences. It delivers an operating system that is more nimble and reliable, more secure, gets the most out of today’s powerful hardware, and easily connects with all the devices people use today.
Windows 7 reflects an evolved approach to engineering the operating system that learns from the lessons of Windows Vista and previous versions of the operating system. It weaves customer feedback more closely into the development process while enabling the delivery of innovative new features in a way that preserves compatibility and performance, so partners in the PC ecosystem can easily and quickly build on the new capabilities Windows has to offer. To ensure that late-breaking features do not disrupt the development process, the plan for the operating system was finalised up front, reflecting customer input and demand for end-to-end scenarios as well as deep, and early, engagement with the PC ecosystem to ensure stability and compatibility.
Some specific business features of Windows 7 Professional include: the ability to join a managed network with Domain Join; the protection of data with advanced network backup and Encrypting File System; and, the ability to print using the right printer at home or work with Location Aware Printing.
Windows 7 Enterprise also adds the following features. BitLocker data protection on internal and external drives; DirectAccess, which provides seamless connectivity to your corporate network; the capability to decrease the amount of time branch office workers wait to open a file across the network with BranchCache; and, the ability to prevent unauthorised software from running with AppLocker.
Microsoft recommends that both consumers and enterprises start using Windows Vista now to take advantage of its existing benefits; Windows Vista will be a smooth and straightforward upgrade path to Windows 7 when it is available, due to its high compatibility with hardware and software that work well with Windows Vista.
How well is Windows Vista doing round these parts?
We have received positive feedback from our enterprise and SMB customers in APAC, who are experiencing the business benefits of Windows Vista. Borneo Motors in Singapore, for example, now saves half an hour per machine using Windows Vista’s secure remote deployment, and has reduced desktop support time by 25 per cent with improved Remote Assistance and the Event Viewer in Windows Vista. Some other Windows Vista customers in the region include Gleneagles and Pernec in Malaysia, ONGC in India, Guinness Gallagher and Kiwi Bank in New Zealand, and the Australian Customs Service.
Today’s economic climate is putting greater pressure on IT to deliver increased efficiencies and business value. As a trusted partner to our customers, we are providing the technologies they need to optimise the performance of their IT investments. The combination of Windows Vista and the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) is a good example of this, and enables customers to increase desktop manageability, support more flexible work environments for their users and reduce the total cost of ownership.
