As we come to the end of 2009 (already?), it is proper for those of us who support Microsoft-based networks to look back and assess the events of the past year. 2009 has been a challenging year, with the most severe recession in thirty years. Business is down, IT department budgets are under pressure, many organizations have cut personnel, and everyone is urged to cut expenses, to get more done with less resources.
Microsoft has been affected by the new business climate and has responded with lower prices on some key products: http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windows7/archive/2009/06/25/announcing-the-windows-7-upgrade-option-program-amp-windows-7-pricing-bring-on-ga.aspx
Microsoft has also placed an emphasis on lowering administration and hardware costs. Microsoft Exchange 2010 can be configured in a complete, low-cost clustered configuration using as little as four physical servers that can serve the needs of many organizations. Exchange 2010 has enhanced mobile computing support, e-mail archiving, and voice mail capabilities without a need for third-party solutions. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd298136.aspx
Versatility was strength of the original release of Windows Server 2008 in February 2008 and the introduction of Windows Server 2008 R2 has added even more capabilities. Windows Server 2008 R2 boasts more than 16 Roles (major network services) and 36 Features (minor network services) http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd283012(WS.10).aspx
Server 2008 R2 is an excellent value proposition in difficult economic times. Enterprise Edition can provide directory services, DNS, DHCP, Multicast desktop image deployment, Digital Rights Management, Federation Services, Virtualization Services, Media Services, Web Services, Terminal Services, Network Access Protection, PKI, File and Print services and Clustering support. R2 Features add additional savings with built-in support for multipath I/O, ISCI SANs and an Integrated Power Shell scripting environment. Check out the new R2 Feature poster:
The Debut of Windows 7 in October was a key event for Microsoft in the year 2009. After a disappointing rollout of Microsoft Vista 23 months before in November of 2006, success of Windows 7 was critical to maintaining Microsoft’s dominance in desktop operating systems around the world. Many Enterprise networks did not deploy Vista, electing to retain Windows XP. As the year 2009 approached many observers felt that it was far from certain that Microsoft still could produce an OS that could generate the kind of buzz and excitement needed to create sales in a tough market. Apple, Linux and even XP would be stiff competition for Windows 7. Expectations were high, and another Vista-like letdown would be disastrous.
Windows 7 was indeed a success. Microsoft wowed fans and mollified its critics with a product that was faster, more versatile and more stable. With a snazzy interface and a brace of new features Windows 7 captured the interest of millions. Microsoft used a strong promotional campaign and aggressive pricing to set a new record in unit sales. In the first month after introduction more than twice (234%) more copies of Windows 7 were sold than any other OS release in history. Not bad results in the middle of a recession.
Many Enterprise networks are looking hard at Windows 7 and its stable mate Windows Server 2008 R2 for wide-spread deployment in 2010. Many PCs running Windows XP are reaching the end of their lease period or useful life and need to be replaced. Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 used in combination support key new features such as Direct Access and BranchCache. Direct Access allows Window 7 machines to be in constant contact with the main office site whenever Internet access is available. BranchCache allows Windows 7 branch office computers to share file server downloads and web pages in a peer-to-peer cache.
I have personally seen a surge of interest in Windows 7 deployment from my students in the past few months. Windows Server 2008 has been a success story in many datacenters and Server 2008 R2 is adding new converts. The hundreds of new Group Policy setting available for Vista and Windows 7 have lowered administrative costs and added energy savings and security options. Microsoft has released new tools such as the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 to make deployments quick and relatively pain-free.
The difficult economic environment may drive rapid change in IT environments in the year 2010. As organizations look for every possible competitive edge and operational efficiency companies that create software that delivers a high return on investment will do well. Microsoft plans to be one of those companies.
-Mark
Related Courses
Configuring, Managing, and Troubleshooting Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 (M10135)
Implementing and Administering Windows 7 in the Enterprise (M50292)
