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Windows Vista on My Network?
 By now I am sure you all have heard that Microsoft has a new desktop operating system on the market. Windows Vista has 4 versions available to the general public with a 5th version available for large enterprise customers. Of the 4 versions available to the general public, 2 are usable in your business network. These 2 versions are Vista Business and Vista Ultimate.
When the time is right for you to move to Windows Vista, Vista Business will be the version that most businesses move to. Vista Business is the replacement for Windows XP Professional. By most reviews, Windows Vista is more visually appealing than Windows XP. These visually appealing aspects of Windows Vista will only run on the most recent hardware. Because of the time and money it takes to perform an operating system upgrade on an existing system, coupled with the fact that most systems require hardware upgrades to run Windows Vista, we suggest purchasing new systems that have been designed to run Windows Vista.
Microsoft has spent considerable time making this the most secure operating system that they have created to date. This is a good thing for everyone but it does have some downsides. Because of the new security features, some of your current software will have to be upgraded to a Vista compatible version. In some cases this compatible version is not available yet or is so new and buggy, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
Some other highlights of Vista beside the improved security and interface enhancements that you will use are:
- Local Shadow Copies - This allows you to restore versions of you files that are saved on your local system. You can't restore every past version of a file, just the version that existed when the scheduled Shadow Copy was made.
- ReadyBoost - This feature allows you to use all or a portion of a USB flash drive to supplement system memory. While flash drives are slower than system memory, their price per MB is lower and it is faster than using a hard drive for temporary storage
- Snipping tool - No more Alt+Print Screen and then pasting into Word or Outlook. The Snipping tool can grab parts of windows and allows you to easily save them to a file, email or other documents.
Dell, our preferred PC supplier, is shipping systems with Windows XP installed until June 30, 2008. This works out well because it allows the software manufacturers the time to create and work out any problems with their Vista compatible versions. If your environment is due for new desktops, we recommend staying with Windows XP this time around. If your desktops need to be replaced after June 30, 2008, Vista Business is what you will be using.
If you have any questions about Windows Vista in your environment please send us an email and we will be happy to answer them as best as we can. |
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