The Windows 8.1 update, which is now available in preview, has received some significant enhancements that will accelerate its adoption in enterprise.
As well as the much publicised return of the ‘Start’ button and the boot to desktop option, there are improvements in manageability, security and use of cloud services that, in combination with a wealth of new form factors at various price points from original equipment manufacturers (OEM), will see the operating system (OS) easier to deploy and manage while supporting rich business applications and increased mobility options.
On the manageability front, Brad McCabe, senior marketing manager, Microsoft, demonstrated how an XML file can be created from a Windows 8.1 configuration. This can be a locked down configuration that limits access to reconfigure the start screen or the live tiles for certain applications, for instance. The XML file can then be incorporated into a policy that can be pushed out to certain users or types of users to configure devices for a specific task set or department.
Also demonstrated was a prototype biometric scanner that does not require a swipe for fingerprint reading. This new scanner can be accessed from within applications by one line of code, for user consent, dispensing with passwords for actions such as purchases or identity confirmation for restricted access instances.
Jon DeVaan, senior vice president, Microsoft, said that the 8.1 update will natively support the mobile device management (MDM) protocol OMA-DM that will allow third parties to provide granular control for devices with MDM applications, but also give greater scope and capabilities for Microsoft’s own Intune.
DeVaan emphasised that 8.1 provides greater levels of security, through better malware resistance with particular reference to protecting the user’s credentials from harvesting attacks. The update provides secure corporate access with modern access controls, leveraging trustworthy hardware. This is accomplished in part through the inclusion of Trusted Platform Modules (TPM) in more devices providing multifactor authentication.
Also demonstrated were beta versions of User Experience Virtualisation V2 and Application Virtualisation V5 beta, which are available to test. This allowed a user to configure a new personal device on Windows 8.1 after the loss of a device. The user can chose to either configure the device direct from an image of the previous device, or to start afresh and simply have their applications, data and preferences applied to the new device, all of which is initiated through a log in with a Microsoft ID.
Another feature aimed at truly mobile users was the incorporation of near field communication (NFC) capabilities with device labels. The demonstration showed a tablet user placing the device on a smart label on a printer in a customer’s office. The label provides all the connection information necessary for the guest device to access the guest network and utilise the device without having to join a domain or request support from the IT team.
All of these enhancements will increase enterprise adoption of Windows 8, making it the default choice for enterprises migrating from Windows XP. According to Erwin Visser, general manager, business planning, Windows Commercial, Microsoft, enterprises in moving away from XP and considering Windows 7 will often adopt Windows 8 too for its mobility advantages.
Visser said the response to user feedback that saw the return of the Start button and the boot to desktop option required "no big religious debate". Some analysts, when the changes were first mooted, described this as an embarrassing climb down by Microsoft, it having embarked on a bold new vision. But Visser said that the changes are simply making more readily available options that were already present but perhaps not as obvious. The Start button, for example, simply enables a left click activation of the start screen, in the same way that a right click in the current Windows 8 does. As such, the implementations in response to feedback do not alter the fundamental principles of the OS, said Visser.
In fact, the entire Windows 8 proposition appears to be turning for Microsoft. DeVaal demonstrated a vast array of new Windows devices, in various form factors, from 20" plus, all in one slates that are aimed at family usage to multimode laptop/tablet transformers and up to the new Acer Iconia W3, the first 8" Windows Pro tablet, employing an Atom processor.
This combination of enhanced features for Windows 8.1, with greater security and manageability, and the range of new touch-enabled devices, ranging from $400 and upwards means that there should be a far broader appeal for the OS across businesses and consumers, driving adoption and licence sales.
The range of new devices may even prompt the analysts to reclassify devices that will see an end to gloomy PC sales forecasts as the term PC becomes an umbrella term for an ever growing range of devices.
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