Windows 7, the latest version of Microsoft's desktop operating system is launched today.  I’m going to take a quick look at the key points of interest to SMEs, and provide some further resources to help you find out more.

Statistics show that 9 out of every 10 PCs runs some version of Windows.  However, looking at the UK figures, Windows XP, which was released in 2001, still holds almost 56% of the market share compared with its replacement Vista which holds 35%.  For one reason or another Vista got a lot of bad press and it was not adopted to the extent that Microsoft had planned.  To ensure they don't repeat past mistakes, Microsoft has been working hard to make Windows 7 an attractive OS and win back confidence and sales in a market seeing increasing popularity for offerings from Apple, Linux and, soon, Google.  Problems with hardware compatibility, upgrade issues, speed and interface annoyances have all been addressed and Microsoft is confident that 7, along with the recent refresh of its Server OS, 2008 R2, and the forthcoming Office 2010 and Exchange 2010 will become what they refer to as 'the New Efficiency'.

As Microsoft Partners, we've been using Windows 7 for a couple of months now and can happily report that this is not another Vista.  We’re all of the opinion that 7 is what Vista should have been 2 years ago.  The improved user interface makes the 'user experience' a much quicker and productive one; we’ve had no issues with any existing hardware, with most drivers being located and installed automatically; and although untested here, we’re excited about both BitLocker To Go and DirectAccess which provide powerful but simple security and support options for business users and administrators.  We have some customers who stuck with XP because Vista failed to run older ‘legacy’ software correctly.  Microsoft have addressed this issue by providing a version of XP within Windows 7 which allows users to run older software in XP Mode either in a separate instance of XP in its own window, or directly from the start menu as if it was running right from Windows 7.  This is a great feature and gives that safety net to users hesitant to take the plunge to 7 for fear of losing access to existing key software.  XP Mode is another example of how virtualisation technology is providing benefits to businesses of all sizes.

Overall, there seems to be more positive excitement surrounding Windows 7 than there was with Vista, and most customers we’ve been talking with are planning to upgrade to 7 sooner rather than later, whether that’s by choosing new PCs with Windows 7 pre-installed, or upgrading from XP or Vista.  We’re certainly encouraging customers to move to Windows 7 as we believe it offers a good range of advantages over previous versions whilst remaining compatible with existing hardware and software. 

Are you planning to deploy or upgrade to Windows 7?  Leave us a comment below.

Further reading:

• PC Pro’s full review of Windows 7
• The Guardian asks key industry figures 'Who needs new Windows?'
• Microsoft’s Windows 7 for Small Business microsite
• Microsoft’s What is Windows 7? microsite

Microsoft has released Service Pack 2 for Office 2007.  The update is described by Microsoft as a significant stability, performance and interoperability upgrade, most notably with improved performance and stability of Outlook, better charting functionality in Excel and built-in support for Open XML, ODF and PDF.

Office 2007 SP2 is available from Windows Update and Microsoft Update or as a separate download.

Windows 7, the next version of Microsoft’s desktop operating system, will be made available to the public as a release candidate on 5^th May. Following the slow uptake of Windows Vista since its release in 2007, Microsoft has been keen to recognise the mistakes they made and make good with Windows 7.

Many of the key features for business in Windows 7 include improvements to security, most noteably with AppLocker, BitLocker, and User Access Control. However compatibility with older applications was one of the main gripes with Vista, and Microsoft ended up extending the life of XP, allowing Vista users (as well as future Windows 7 users) to downgrade to it. With this in mind, Windows 7 will includes (as a download for Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions) Windows XP Mode which will allow users to run a virtual instance of XP, similar to using Virtual PC, as well as running XP applications alongside Windows 7 applications on a single desktop.

The target date for the final release of Windows 7 is sometime between July 2009 and June 2010.