Software savings world valid keys
- 1. Windows 7 Secrets Software Savings World www.softwaresavingsworld.com
- 2. Topics • Where we’re at from an industry perspective • Windows 7 – the impact on end users • Windows 7 – the impact on businesses • “Windows 7 Secrets” – About the book, and why I must hate myself
- 3. Optional topics • Office 2010 and the Office Web Applications • Microsoft’s cloud computing strategy
- 5. 2006-2009 • Windows Vista didn’t exactly get a positive reception. • That said, it delivered on Microsoft’s promise to update the foundation of Windows to something more modern. • That foundation is used in Windows 7.
- 6. Windows 7 • Windows 7 is all about delivering on the failures of Vista, real or imagined. • Real: Better performance, simpler and more efficient UI, more cohesiveness, etc. • Perception: Microsoft is finally fighting back with “I’m a PC” and other ads.
- 7. Windows 7 for end users (the fun stuff)
- 8. “Windows Vista done right” • We’ve all heard this. • Ironic? People universally embrace Windows 7. Which is really just Windows Vista R2. • Low-level improvements: Smaller memory footprint, better performance, 100s of tiny usability tweaks. • The whole is greater than the parts.
- 9. Picking the right version • Virtually any home user: Windows 7 Home Premium. • Managed small businesses: Windows 7 Professional. – Adds domain support, network-based backup, EFS, Remote Desktop host. • Enterprises: Windows 7 Enterprise. – The full meal deal: BitLocker, BitLocker-To-Go
- 10. Setup • Setup has been simplified. • Clean install in 15-20 minutes. • Upgrade: Averages a couple of hours. (Or, as IDG News reported, “Microsoft: Windows 7 upgrades to take 20 hours” Sigh.) • Windows XP users: No upgrade for you. • Don’t forget the Upgrade Advisor.
- 11. User experience • Biggest end user changes are in the UI... – Personalization with Aero Themes and slideshows. – Major changes to the Taskbar – Pinning, Jump Lists, Live Previews, and more. – Notification area clean-up. – Libraries and Windows Explorer. – Windows Aero desktop effects: Aero Peek, Aero Snaps, Aero Shake.
- 12. User experience • Bundled apps – Calculator – Paint – WordPad – Sticky Notes, etc. • Missing apps – Windows Live Essentials fills the gaps • You can also remove more apps than in Vista.
- 13. User experience • Windows Touch – Multi-touch now a full-fledged interface paradigm, alongside mouse, keyboard, stylus/tablet. – Really does change the way you interact with the PC. • Windows Search 4.0 – Near-instantaneous search results. – Harder to find thanks to Google.
- 14. Security • Vista already got this mostly right. • UAC has been overhauled, user gets fine- grained control. • Windows 7 still doesn’t ship with an AV solution. • The good news: Microsoft’s Security Essentials is free and appears to be decent.
- 15. Networking and sharing • Again, Vista already got this mostly right. • Simpler Network and Sharing Center. • HomeGroup sharing makes sharing documents and digital media much easier. • You can actually access a media library over the Internet. (Watch as I fail to get this to work!) • Traditional sharing interfaces are still there.
- 16. Digital media • Major updates to... – Windows Media Player – Windows Media Center • No meaningful update to Windows DVD Maker. • Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Movie Maker are part of Windows Live Essentials. • Library views of digital media are also nice. • Zune is the future. (Yes, really.)
- 17. Mobility • Lots of work under the covers to improve efficiencies and battery life on the go. • Power management simplification and improvement. • Windows Mobility Center largely unchanged from Vista. • Connect to a Projector. • Netbooks and Tablet PCs.
- 18. Internet • Internet Explorer 8 – Big usability gains – Questions about performance • Email, contacts, and calendaring moved out of the base OS: Now supplied by Windows Live Mail in Windows Live Essentials. • Windows Live Services complete the picture for consumers.
- 19. Reliability • Windows Backup gets evolutionary update. – Now offers image-based system backup on all SKUs. – Network-based backups only on premium SKUs.
- 20. Compatibility • Evolution of compatibility mode work from XP, Vista. Works surprisingly well. • Windows Virtual PC and XP Mode for small businesses – that last mile solution for compatibility.
- 21. Windows 7 for businesses
- 22. Windows 7 at work • It’s all about easing the pain. • Simpler, more efficient environment for end users and IT administrators. • Some of these features require Windows Server 2008 R2 as well. (“Better together”)
- 23. Remote access/Branch office • VPN Reconnect. • DirectAccess – replace VPNs with HTTPS. • Branch Cache.
- 24. Security and reliability • AppLocker. • BitLocker. • BitLocker To Go. • Problem Steps Recorder.
- 25. Taking it to the next level • PowerShell 2 built-into Windows 7/R2. • Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack – A benefit of Software Assurance. – App-V 4.5 R2 – Windows 7 integration. – Several other high-value tools. • Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 – Get up and running with Windows 7/R2 deployments. – Available now.
- 26. Making the case for Windows 7 • Spending money vs. investing. • Windows 7 (and R2) come with real-world TCO benefits and savings.* – Overall savings of deploying Windows 7 over XP averages about $115 per desktop per year. – You can use the same hardware (unlike w/Vista). • Additional benefits to going with R2 around virtualization density, power savings, DA, etc. * According to a Microsoft-sponsored Forrester study
- 28. Windows 7 Secrets • An absolute time-suck with no obvious benefit to the author(s). • 1081 pages. • Several months of work. • Based on Windows Vista Secrets SP1 Edition where possible. • Most beneficial to consumers coming from XP. • Less beneficial for Vista users, businesses, developers.
- 30. Office 2010
- 31. Office 2010 components • Traditional Office suite and individual applications as before. • Office Servers (i.e. SharePoint.) • Office Mobile for Windows Mobile and Nokia Symbian. • Office Web Applications.
- 32. Office 2010 • Standardization on the ribbon user interface. – Biggest deal here: Outlook. – Not the slam-dunk that Office 2007 was. • Major themes – Anytime/anywhere access to Office and your documents – Full document fidelity preserved as you move from interface to interface. – High definition content with advanced visualizations.
- 33. Office 2010 • So what does this mean, really? – Microsoft Outlook: Major UX changes. – Excel, Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, etc.: Minor, evolutionary changes. – New capabilities around BackStage View, co- authoring, and video.
- 34. Office Web Applications • Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote are heading to the web. • (Closed) Tech Preview starts this week, beta later this year. • None of the web apps are fully capable. Word can’t even edit documents yet. • Designed as a companion to the full suite, not a replacement. • Browser agnostic: IE, Firefox, Safari.
- 35. Office Web Applications • Ribbon comparison: Excel.
- 36. Word Web App
- 37. Excel Web App