Despite well-documented slow adoption rates for enterprises and businesses, the fact is that there are several large enterprises that are planning their move to Windows Vista. Some of these organizations have worked closely with Microsoft to ensure their needs are met, so they can be confident the OS will meet their requirements when deployed. We provide here an overview of what to expect (or hope for) when making the move to Vista, whether in the short term or further out on your planning horizon.
Reduced Support
Windows Vista includes built-in diagnostics that can automatically detect and diagnose common support problems and then help users resolve the problems themselves. Problems that Windows Vista diagnostics address include failing disks, degraded performance, lack of network connectivity, and failure to shut down properly. IT departments can add custom content to User Assistance-Windows Vista's version of help files-to provide answers to questions about custom applications and internal network resources. User Assistance can also be customized to link users directly to an internal support center.
Windows Vista offers several significant improvements to make Remote Assistance more efficient. Windows Vista Remote Assistance is faster, uses less bandwidth, and can function through Network Address Translation (NAT) firewalls.
Increased automation
Task Scheduler is much more powerful in Windows Vista than in earlier versions of Windows. Task Scheduler can still be used to launch tasks at specific times or when the computer starts up, and it is entirely backward-compatible with Windows XP. However, with the new Windows Vista Task Scheduler, IT professionals can also schedule tasks to launch when:
- A specific event occurs, such as insufficient disk space. Administrators can use Task Scheduler to notify the support center of problems or even automatically resolve common issues.
- A user locks or unlocks their workstation. Administrators can use Task Scheduler to launch a script or application whenever a user returns to their desk.
- The computer is idle. Administrators can use this feature to run maintenance tasks such as backing up the computer when it is not in use.
Additionally, tasks can be run in sequence, enabling administrators to schedule multiple tasks so that the tasks will not run simultaneously. To improve security and reduce maintenance related to password expirations, credentials for the accounts used to run a task can be stored in the Active Directory domain, rather than on the local computer where they are more vulnerable to attack.
Windows Vista also includes several improvements to MMC that make administrative tools easier to use.
Reduced Update Management Costs
Although it is important to keep current with the latest software updates, update management is costly, time-consuming, and disruptive to IT professionals and end users. Windows Vista includes platform technology that can be used to prevent reboots or reduce the impact of reboots, in cases where they cannot be avoided. This new technology is used by the Windows Installer, so adding or removing applications with the Windows Add/Remove programs feature will be less likely to require a reboot.
While new applications are installed, applications currently in use may be automatically restarted. To reduce the disruption caused by the installation, some applications, including key Microsoft Office 2007 applications and Internet Explorer, can automatically restore their state after installation. And in cases where reboots cannot be avoided, the same technology may be used to restore the application's state after the reboot.
Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), a new version of Software Update Services (SUS), also helps improve update management. Administrators can use WSUS to more easily review the new updates that are available and assess whether these updates are needed in their environments. For environments that use Automatic Updates, administrators can use WSUS to deploy all updates. In previous versions of Windows, only critical updates could be deployed using the Automatic Updates feature.
The Windows Update Agent (WUA) is now a stand-alone application that can download updates either directly from Microsoft or from an internal WSUS server. Because the WUA provides a single interface to updates downloaded either from Microsoft or from an internal enterprise server, users do not have to learn how to use two separate tools.
Windows Vista Enterprise -- more capabilities
One of the main goals of Microsoft with Vista was to try to reduce the cost and complexity of deploying and managing corporate PCs. So it provides Windows Vista Enterprise, which has improved data protection (including stronger data protection for laptops), easier management and improved standardization for global operations. For an organization considering deploying Vista, the main benefits fall into these categories:
- improved security and compliance
- easier deployment, management and maintenance
- enhanced information searching on PC, email, corporate servers and internet
- enhanced support for mobile workers (e.g. more secure and more flexible).
If your organization has Vista as just a blip on a distant radar, then you will be served very well by Windows XP for the foreseeable future. But if Vista is on your radar or scheduled for deployment, there are several benefits that can make the transition worth the pain of the upgrade across your enterprise.
Welcome to another edition of Optimize Now, Raxco Software's newsletter focusing on enterprise performance, productivity and storage management issues for the Windows IT professional.