Top 10 Enterprise Features in Windows 7

Microsoft® Windows® 7 Enterprise is designed to meet the evolving needs of users and IT professionals alike. Explore the top 10 features that will also make CIOs smile.

Desktop operating systems are geared toward making life easy for end users—and Microsoft Windows 7 is no exception. Performing everyday tasks and working on new projects is designed to be more intuitive than with any previous Windows system. The Windows 7 OS is also designed to be fast, reliable, and more secure than the Windows XP and Windows Vista® operating systems. Most importantly, productivity enhancements help remove barriers that prevent access to information, regardless of where the data is stored.

At the same time, the Windows 7 Enterprise platform helps simplify management by making it easy for IT organizations to meet diverse client requirements. It offers enhanced security and control by building on the security foundation of Windows Vista, and delivers additional flexibility for IT teams charged with securing desktop and mobile client systems and data. In addition, because administrators can often leverage the same tools and skills they use with Windows Vista for Windows 7 Enterprise desktops, laptops, and virtualized environments, the transition requires minimal training—freeing IT staff to focus on strategic projects.

Ten key features of Windows 7 Enterprise work in conjunction with the Microsoft Windows Server® 2008 R2 OS to advance enterprise efficiency:

1. DirectAccess connectivity: As the workforce becomes increasingly mobile and many employees work remotely at least part of the time, the question of productivity becomes increasingly critical. To be as productive as they could be in the office, workers must be able to connect to enterprise resources seamlessly and securely.
   
   The DirectAccess feature enables mobile users to access enterprise resources simply and securely when out of the office—without the extra step of initiating a virtual private network (VPN) connection. This capability helps to simplify IT management by allowing for an “always managed” infrastructure, which helps ensure that client systems used by mobile workers remain healthy and updated.
2. BranchCache™ local caching: For large enterprises with several branch offices and centralized applications, low network responsiveness and slow connection speeds can create significant bottlenecks that hamper productivity and lead to a subpar user experience. The BranchCache feature helps address this issue by caching content from remote file and Web servers at the local branch office, which allows branch office users to access important information quickly. It supports commonly used network protocols to reduce the need for additional IT training. In addition, the BranchCache feature supports network security protocols such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and IP Security (IPsec), helping to ensure that only authorized clients can access requested data. It also helps to reduce wide area network (WAN) traffic, boost network application responsiveness, and increase efficiency for end users accessing the content.
3. AppLocker™ application control: For enterprises that demand the highest levels of compliance, administrators can leverage the AppLocker feature to dictate which applications are allowed to run on desktop and mobile client systems. This feature provides a flexible, easy-to-administer mechanism that allows IT organizations to exercise control over the infrastructure while also giving workers the ability to run the applications, installation programs, and scripts that they require to be productive. As a result, enterprises can enforce application standardization while also enhancing security and streamlining compliance.
4. BitLocker™ security: Because mobile workers often take sensitive information with them on their laptops when they leave the office, encrypting hard drives and removable storage devices can go a long way toward preventing security breaches.
   
   The BitLocker feature gives IT administrators and end users the ability to right-click on a drive to enable BitLocker protection. By supporting automatic creation of the required hidden boot partition, BitLocker advances key management over previous versions of Windows. In addition, the BitLocker To Go™ feature offers data protection for removable storage devices and gives the IT team enhanced control over how removable storage devices can be used.
5. RemoteApp™ access: Employees need the same programs when they are working remotely that they use when they are in the office—but installing and maintaining those applications on every laptop can be a serious hurdle for IT staff.
   
   The RemoteApp feature for Windows 7 Enterprise is designed to enable end users to access the programs they need without actually installing them on the remote computer. Because IT staff can make application updates centrally, this feature helps save administration time and reduce maintenance costs. Updates can then be distributed automatically when users log in.
6. Multilingual support: Instead of creating a separate image for each language used in the enterprise, administrators can use Windows 7 Enterprise language packs to support several dozen different languages using a single Windows master image.
7. Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI): Designed to improve end-user productivity while also simplifying desktop administration and security for IT staff, VDI supports desktop functionality using virtual machines hosted on servers. It allows users to access their desktops remotely, as well as reuse virtual machine images to boot a physical desktop, laptop, or workstation. VDI also helps reduce IT maintenance overhead by centralizing management and avoiding the need to perform patches and upgrades on each physical computer in the enterprise.
8. Image management: For organizations that support multiple operating systems and configurations, image management can be a complex, time-consuming, and costly task. But with the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool in Windows 7, IT administrators can build and service OS images using a single consolidated tool set.
   
   Image management tools built into Windows 7 Enterprise allow administrators to add optional components; add, enumerate, and remove third-party device drivers; add language packs and apply international settings; and maintain an inventory of offline images. Administrators can also use DISM to manage Windows Vista system images, which helps to reduce administrative overhead and costs for mixed deployments.
9. Power management: Desktop and mobile computers are responsible for a significant percentage of the power consumption in most enterprises. Because cutting down on energy consumption can help IT strategists improve the bottom line, Windows 7 Enterprise includes a variety of power management features designed to increase platform and processor efficiencies. For example, Windows 7 helps improve idle efficiency by minimizing resource utilization and enabling processors, disks, memory, and network activity to go into low-power states during extended periods of inactivity. In addition, technologies such as adaptive display brightness and low-power audio help conserve energy and contribute to an efficient, cost-effective enterprise.
10. Windows PowerShell™ command-line shell: Used with Windows 7 Enterprise, the Windows PowerShell command-line shell and administrator-focused scripting language can help increase management control and enhance IT productivity. The tool helps simplify management of Windows-based servers, workstations, and applications through an interactive shell, scripting functions, and graphical interface applications. It offers more than 130 standard command-line tools and utilities as well as a consistent syntax to enable IT teams to accelerate automation easily. It is also designed to work with existing IT infrastructures and existing script investments to facilitate early adoption, learning, and use.

In these ways, Windows 7 Enterprise can help significantly boost client security and productivity while simplifying end-to-end IT management and control. For large enterprises intent on advancing business efficiency while reducing total cost of ownership, the question is not whether to migrate to Windows 7—but when.