IT Expert Voice

Windows XP will soon be without support and Vista has overstayed its welcome, but Windows 7 is far more than a ho-hum OS newcomer. Here are 7 real ways Windows 7 will make IT’s day easier –from deployment forward.
Windows 7 is taking enterprise IT by storm. “The positive consumer reviews of Windows 7 have already begun to directly impact enterprise IT managers,” explains Benjamin Gray, senior analyst at Forrester Research. “As consumers embrace Windows 7, they’re going to demand an equivalent – if not better – computing experience from IT.”

This growing employee pressure to make the switch to Windows 7 offers a marked advantage to IT managers. “With Windows Vista, most felt they had to sell it to their employees – and often felt they did so unsuccessfully,” says Gray. “That’s no longer the case with Windows 7. Now employees are asking to be a part of their Windows 7 pilots because they immediately see the productivity benefits it enables.”

While high employee adoption rates are a decided plus in easing IT’s role in managing the OS switchover, it’s not the only way Windows 7 lightens IT’s workload.

Refresh in Demand

“We’re seeing many companies aggressively switching to Windows 7 and timing it with their PC refresh,” says Michael Silver, analyst at Gartner. “Many of them skipped Vista and postponed their normal PC refresh cycle because of the downturn in the economy.”

“Now there is a pent-up demand for PCs. But there’s also strong demand for Windows 7, partially because so many companies skipped Windows Vista and Windows XP support will soon disappear,” he says. Silver says Microsoft will stop supporting XP in April 2014 but warns that many application vendors will drop XP support much sooner, leaving enterprises in the lurch if they haven’t switched to Windows 7.

Windows XP SP2 entered the extended support phase earlier this year, which means new enhancements are no longer coming. On July 7, 2010, Windows XP SP3 will follow suit, says Forrester’s Gray. The extended support phase of both Windows XP SP2 and SP3 will end on April 8, 2014, and new security updates and patches will no longer be released, he warns.

Windows XP still powers almost 80% of all commercial PCs, according to Gray. Most of these enterprise IT departments will be unable to support XP and XP-based applications for much longer. The workload required to make the attempt could easily be overwhelming.

“The real story is around the challenge associated with continuing to use an operating system that is out of mainstream support, that is Windows XP,” concurs Al Gillen, program vice president of System Software at IDC.

But the reasons to adopt Windows 7 aren’t only to move off Windows XP. There are distinct advantages to the new OS for enterprises of any size, say experts.

7 Wins for Enterprise IT Using Windows 7

“Windows 7 offers some improvements in usability, so the product has the potential to incrementally lower operational costs by making end users more productive,” says IDC’s Gillen. “But the product also offers a number of features that IT will appreciate, including some improvements in manageability.”

“In addition, the product offers some ‘better together’ features that are exposed in an environment that uses both Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7,” he adds.

Beyond those advantages, here are seven specific ways Windows 7 lightens enterprise IT’s load:

1. Ease of employee adoption translates to less training work. Because most employees are eager to use Windows 7, and some have already tried it at home, less training time and effort will be required from IT staff. That’s a true joy, considering the trials and tribulations associated with promoting and training efforts in Vista.

2. Windows 7 offers use rights to host Windows XP as a guest operating system. This is an important feature during the transition while application vendors are in flux. Some applications will be Windows XP-based; some will quickly move to take advantage of Windows 7. This flexibility is helpful in the interim.

However, this is not to say that the switch from Windows XP to Windows 7 is entirely a no-brainer for IT. “You can’t upgrade directly from XP to Windows 7,” says Mike Karp, founder and principal analyst at Infrastructure Analytics. “On the other hand, look particularly hard at the opportunity to use Windows 7’s desktop virtualization capabilities. If you understand this, and can plan for it, it may prove to be a support godsend.”

Windows 7 ships with Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode, offering the ability to sandbox these applications or run them in an XP-compatible mode. “Additionally, customers with Software Assurance agreements have access to Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), part of Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V), which enables IT professionals to deploy and manage virtual images — thus removing the last barriers to deploy Windows 7,” says Forrester’s Gray.

Vista does allow the upgrade.

3. DirectAccess promises to simplify connectivity for mobile users. IT staff will be relieved of much of the aggravation associated with mobile support issues. Plus, BitLocker to Go allows encryption of removable media, which aids IT with security measures.

4. BranchCache improves branch access networking. In a nutshell, this means branch offices and remote workers will have fast access, similar to that of staff working in the main office. Downloading files in remote locations is much faster. Microsoft explains it thusly: When IT enables BranchCache, a copy of data accessed from an intranet website or a file server is cached locally within the branch office. When another user on the same network requests the file, the user gets access to the content almost immediately as it is downloaded from the local cache rather than over a limited bandwidth connection back to headquarters.

5. BitLocker and BitLocker To Go will secure data on hard drives and removable USB thumb drives. Indeed, both are stark security improvements. But IT managers need to keep in mind that these features are still a bit of a work in progress. “From a security perspective, it’s not where it needs to be; companies that are considering implementing Windows 7 would be well served to wait for SP1 and the expected slew of security fixes it will consolidate,” advises Ariel Silverstone, a cyber-security expert and former director in the CTO’s office at Symantec.

IDC’s Gillen also warns that “security settings may break some applications.” Be sure to test applications thoroughly beforehand.

6. AppLocker promises to deliver more granular control of user applications. This is a desktop lockdown mechanism intended to save IT tons of helpdesk calls. AppLocker prevents unauthorized Internet downloads and software installations, thus avoiding problems with compatibility, security, desktop performance degradation, and needless bandwidth consumption.

7. Federated Search aims to simplify access to data across local and remote resources. Windows Vista improved desktop search compared to Windows XP, but it was still limited to the computer it was running on. Federated Search allows users to search both their local computers and remote repositories. The expanded search capabilities increases employee performance, yes, but it also allows IT to more easily search throughout the enterprise.

But these are not the only compelling reasons for enterprises to make a Windows 7 upgrade, says Forrester’s Ben Gray. “PowerShell, Group Policy, Problem Steps Recorder, Windows Troubleshooting, Deployment Tools, and IE8 are all of strong interest in our daily conversations with companies,” he says.

While the top seven list of reasons to switch to Windows 7 will vary from one company to another, it’s highly unlikely the list will become any shorter for any enterprise.

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