Windows 7 Survival: Enterprise Features

With the introduction of Windows 7 (and in many cases Windows Server 2008 R2) Microsoft foresees a future without VPN, external transport encoding and more scalable desktop search.

February 18, 2009, CIO—— user experience attention, has been distributed to the Win7beta version. It has a new toolbar and its jump menu, mouseover function, easy navigation and Controlling the intelligent learning of user accounts. However, under the beautiful appearance, the lack of Win7 features is not well known to the enterprise.

Recently, Microsoft has accepted some criticisms of Win7's neglect of corporate needs. Paul Thurrott, a popular blogger and editor at Microsoft's Super Site, recently revealed in an interview that Microsoft is now treating companies with a future consideration, arbitrarily locking corporate user demand on Win Server 2008 R2, and requiring companies to Spend a lot of money.

To this end, Gavriella Schuster, head of Microsoft's former Windows product management department, acknowledged that Win 7 will not be in a need for the above features of WinServe R2008 R2. Deploying between nights. "Some of these features will be a long-term team strategy," Schuster said.

Still, Microsoft is still spreading the message that Win7 can help businesses. Recently In an interview, Schuster specifically talked about what Microsoft considers to be a key feature.

Direct connection

Direct connection requires Win7 and Win Serve R2008 R2. It allows mobile workstations to connect to Enterprise networks, without the need for VPNs, give business users more flexibility and lessen the burden on it.

Schuster says that through direct connections, users only need one Internet access point. Anything that can go to the corporate network; they no longer need to make a pause for what they are doing, accessing a dedicated VPN. This will reduce the use of corporate bandwidth, because remote users will mostly use their own bandwidth, she That said.

For IT managers, Direct Connect technology will have more benefits, she said, “For IT, the biggest challenge is to control remote computers, know how long they have been offline, what they are Time to come back, and they When it is packaged. Through direct connection technology, as long as a machine is connected to the Internet, it can be managed.

For future no longer a formal VPN, security considerations, Schuster said, Win Server 2008 R2's direct connection technology will use the most secure protocol, ipv6 to encrypt data and spread on the Internet. Regardless of whether you have a VPN or firewall, we integrate this into the direct connection technology, she said. No more Separate layers come to that secure channel.

BranchCache

Branch cache, also requires the use of Win7 and Win Serve R2008 R2, is a design to accelerate, far away from the company headquarters End office, the function of the network. In fact, the branch cache will be exposed to the remote bulk files stored in the company network to speed up, Schuster said. For example, a file service has been downloaded from the company network and cached in the local branch office. In the WinServe R2008 R2 system, when another branch office user needs this file, it can immediately download it from the local cache instead of connecting to the corporate headquarters through a limited bandwidth.

The user does not need to go back to the company network and take up bandwidth to download again, Schuster said.

And the IT department can also use the branch cache to set up the branch computer that can be used for caching in the branch office. Quantity. Set the current usage folder, whether you need to get them again after forcing users to return to the company network, and check what level of license the user should have.

Win7 enhances enterprise search function from the desktop
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Although Win vista enhances desktop search and Microsoft has invested in sharing point search interfaces and web searches, according to Schuster, the problem is that three searches have different functions and you have to go to three different places. Br>

On Win7, we have integrated the search, Schuster said, then you are directly from the desktop, you can use the extended desktop search function to search to share the sub-site, point on the Internet, and look for a possible in any Local folders: on your computer, on your network, on the Internet.

With the integrated search function in Win7, users can choose which inline The web, and the sharing point sub-site can be searched, or the IT department can use a function called enterprise domain search to add the frequently used intranet link to the user's start menu. The search results are presented in the same way as Winxp and vista users. Up.

Use of Bitlocker

The Bitlocker hard disk encryption function introduced in Win vista to protect lost or stolen data on the notebook. This feature was extended to protect in Win 7 Storage devices, such as external hard drives, and usb flash drives.

Used in Win7 is called "bitlocker to go". This feature allows external storage devices to use passwords before the user is allowed to copy data. Give restrictions.

This will give companies the same confidence to encrypt USB external hard drives used on multi-volume drives. Schuster said that with this technology, the number of usb devices has increased, making it a Must.

Because the external device is easy to lose, not even seen, but bitlocker to go gives the business operator extra confidence that no one can get that Data.

Applocker

Just like bitlocker, applocker is also part of Win7 security, control camp, and is committed to protecting users from malware infections that may result from running unauthorized software.

For security, Microsoft recommends that companies run under standard user status, which means that no user admin rights are given at all. But even if the IT department gives users admin rights, Applocker can defend against running suspicious software. It specifies which applications can run on employees' computers, blocks potentially threatening software, and allows users to run applications and programs.

Schuster says: Applocker allows it to declare that users can only install these Types of applications. And they can specify a specific software publisher, or version. For example, users can only install Adobe Acrobat 8.1 or higher.