News

Report: Windows 7 Meets Business Needs

• By Herb Torrens
• 08/31/2009

Microsoft got it right with Windows 7, according to Michael Cherry, vice president of research on operating systems for Directions on Microsoft.

Cherry, along with colleagues Paul DeGroot and Matt Rosoff, have produced a research report aimed at helping senior IT decision makers evaluate Microsoft's latest client operating system. The 40-page report, "Windows 7: An OS for Business," will be available next month.

"It was really important for this version of Windows to overcome the barriers put up by Vista, and I think they successfully accomplished that," said Cherry in a telephone interview.

Those barriers, according to the report, include poor application compatibility, poor device driver support, and of course, the infamous user account control (UAC) security feature, among others.

Two years after Vista was released, more than 70 percent of business computers were still running XP, according Forrester Research.

Windows 7 is a somewhat slimmed-down "interim" OS release, according to Cherry. Like Vista, Windows 7 shares the same code base for server and client, allowing simplified testing for Microsoft and much-improved maintenance for customers. A single service pack can be used to update both server and client.

While the core components of Vista and Windows 7 are the same, the improved performance of the new OS may alter perceptions that had turned negative with Vista, according to the report.

"I think the biggest surprise for me was when I saw a Microsoft executive hold up a netbook at a recent conference saying that it was running Windows 7," said Cherry. "There is no way you could run Vista on a box like that."

Changes made with Windows 7 include improved driver support, a streamlined UAC, an updated Service Control Manager, a new power management system and a simplified BitLocker, according to the report (see Table).

Microsoft worked to keep its partners in the loop on Windows 7. Hardware manufacturers, OEMs and developers were engaged early in the process, the report noted. When Vista was released in 2006, it did have features important to business, such as security and networking improvements. However, it suffered from too many application and driver compatibility problems. Hardware manufacturers were not up to speed on the resources required to run Vista.

Many of the application and driver capability issues have since been resolved, according to the report. Cherry and his colleagues see the migration to Windows 7 as fairly painless, especially for those who have been working with Vista.

For those migrating to Windows 7, "pre-Vista" machines likely will need to be replaced, the report noted. Windows XP-era applications will need to be updated. Alternatively, IT pros can deploy desktop virtualization solutions and Windows XP Mode.

Developers would be wise to examine Windows 7's UI changes, such as Jump Start and the Task Bar, so they can leverage their apps to the new look and features, Cherry said. They should also look at enabling PowerShell features for troubleshooting their applications.

IT pros should consider using PowerShell for improved remote administration capabilities, according to Cherry. He recommends using the Windows Automatic Installation Kit to standardize images for installation.

"I don't think people using XP will find the changes so substantial that they will not be able to upgrade to Window 7," said Cherry. "Yes, there are a lot of changes [from XP], but at the end of the day, I think most will adapt without much difficulty."

In addition to highlighting the features and benefits most likely to interest business, the report provides information on acquiring and licensing Windows 7.