Microsoft touts Windows Vista for enterprises

Microsoft's latest Windows Vista beta highlights enterprise features

Microsoft has used the latest Community Technology Preview (CTP) test version of its forthcoming Windows Vista to highlight new features for enterprises. 

The software giant has mainly focused on the consumer features in Windows Vista, but Brad Goldberg, general manager for Windows client product management, said in a conference call with journalists that Vista also provides new features for enterprise users.

"The perception was created that Windows Vista is a consumer release. While there is a lot of cool stuff for consumers, Windows Vista is as much if not more a business focused release that will provide tremendous value for business customers."

The Vista beta is currently "feature complete" and Microsoft will not add any new functionality. The enterprise-themed CTP is mostly intended to channel feedback. Microsoft intends to release an end user oriented CTP in the second quarter of 2006.

Enterprise users will be primarily attracted to Vista's new security features, Goldberg predicted.

He touted the enhanced security offered by the forthcoming Internet Explorer 7, which will be launched independently of Windows Vista.

As previously announced, the operating system will also make it easier for users to work effectively in standard rather than administrator mode.

About 80 per cent of enterprise users currently run in administrator mode because it allows them to install drivers and change certain settings such as time zones. But spyware and other malware can use these increased privileges to perform malicious tasks.

"We are hoping in Windows Vista to dramatically drive this number down so that most tasks can be completed in standard mode," Goldberg said. "User account control will be one of the most valuable areas for enterprises."

But the feature will pose a challenge to IT administrators looking to upgrade, Goldberg warned, as they will need to test custom applications to ensure that they function properly in standard user mode.

Windows Vista also offers a series of features that aim to lower the cost of managing and deploying enterprise computer networks.

Microsoft will make it easier to manage so-called 'images', pre-customised versions of the operating system that IT managers install on new hardware.

Organisations are currently required to create separate images for each language and hardware configuration. Microsoft estimates that organisations spend an average $100,000 a year maintaining each image.

Vista will allow departments to create a single image for all languages and hardware configurations, and new deployment and development tools will help drive down the number of manual installations.

Goldberg also talked up features providing easier access to information such as the new Sidebar, as well as enhanced system search capabilities designed to provide easy access to information stored on a computer. 

Windows Vista offers several new features for laptop users to cut back on boot-up time. The platform also offers a new mobility centre where users manage their system settings and, for instance, create profiles based on their location.

A mobile profile, for example, will disable access to instant messaging applications while conserving energy, and a wired profile provides data backup and enhanced network connections.

The enterprise Windows Vista preview is available to about 500,000 developers and IT professionals through Microsoft's technical beta, MSDN and TechNet programmes. 

Microsoft promised another CTP for the second quarter of this year. The application will highlight end user functionalities and will be made available to a broader group of testers.

Windows Vista is the first version of Microsoft's operating system for which the company is using its Community Technology Previews. Each preview is centred around a certain theme such as enterprise, security or end users.

The software vendor issued its first beta of Vista in July and has released CTPs in September, October and December. The final product is scheduled for release in the second half of 2006.