Business / IT Managers are looking at the new release of Windows 7 and asking “what is in it for me?”.
As we have stated previously, the extension of Windows XP support until 2014 suggests there is no crushing hurry to make the move but there are still some handy features to lure early adopters.

BitLocker

With staff travelling more extensively than ever before, knowledge protection is becoming a key concern. We have seen a sharp rise in the number of people losing laptops through theft or carelessness. Although replacing them is a simple issue there is always concern over the security of the information stored on the computer itself. BitLocker addresses this issue and has previously been available in the enterprise version of Windows Vista. Microsoft have released a more mature version with W7. Essentially the software allows a hard drive to be encrypted so that prying eyes cannot read the information – even if they use highly advanced methods or data recovery software. For executives carrying key IP with them it is a worthy investment.

AppLocker

Provides fine control over what software / application employees can run on a workstation or laptop. A handy example of this is that a system administrator can nominate the applications that can run on a machine and thereby prevent the execution of harmful malware. Given that a malware infestation can take hours to remove this feature can provide a tangible cost saving.
Also by further limiting employee access to other software this feature should contribute to productivity by reducing distractions.

Location Aware Printing

One of the minor irritations faced by people working in multiple locations relates to choosing a different printer for each location. It is now possible to set a default printer for each network profile. So simply plugging in to a particular network will change to the preferred printer for that location.

DirectAccess

Provides direct connection to corporate network resources without the need of establishing a VPN.
Essentially you only need an internet connection and DirectAccess will provide secure access to your office resources as though you were working onsite.

VPN Reconnect

For sites that are not fully ready for DirectAccess – this feature allows you to maintain a persistent VPN connection without manually redialling.
The software monitors the connection and automatically redials behind the scenes.

Offline Access to Network Resources

When you’re out of the office and don’t have an Internet connection, Offline Files provides a great way to continue to work with documents and files that are stored on your corporate network. For example,
while travelling on a long flight, you can work on a copy of a file that’s cached on your PC, and any changes you make will automatically be synchronized with the server the next time you connect to the
corporate network.

These are just a few of the new features on offer – some are not available in all versions of W7 and there may be additional requirements to run them.
A CA consultant will be happy to discuss the correct version for your business needs and to assist in planning ahead to integrate adoption of these services into your IT strategy.