Windows 7 Coming Soon To A Desktop Near You

Windows 7 is Microsoft’s most important Operating System since the October 2001 release of Windows XP.  Many think this is the best PC operating system Microsoft has developed, others think it is just an update to Windows Vista.  Whatever you think Windows 7 is, you cannot ignore this OS because Windows XP is now in the Extended Support Phase and all support will be terminated on April 8^th, 2014.  Gartner Research VP and Distinguished Analyst Michael Silver recommends that you get XP out by the end of 2012 because around that time many applications will no longer support Windows XP.  You can find a great deal of useful information from Gartner about Windows 7 here:

http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/reports/windows-7-report.jsp

In the video I heard Michael talk about three things you should consider when upgrading to Windows 7, which are:

• Timeline requirements
• Windows 7 deployment strategy
• Improve PC manageability

Although these sound like three separate issues, we have found a way to address all of these issues with one tool called Citrix XenDesktop 4.

From Citrix: “By Centralizing desktop and application delivery, a Windows 7 desktop can be deployed to any device on demand.”

Think about this statement quickly and about how you currently deliver your desktop operating system and applications to your end users.  When a new employee joins your organization, what do you do?  Do you use Symantec Ghost?   Maybe you use Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager to update the device?  Are you still using SMS?  What do you do when a PC breaks?  How much time do you spend fixing a broken PC?  How often do you have to fix someone’s PC?  How long does it take to find the root cause of the issue?  How are you going to restore documents that were saved locally?  Why do these desktops have so much spyware?  Shouldn’t you be working on more important projects?  What about the hardware requirements for the new operating system, how much is that new Windows 7 hardware going to cost?  The executives are talking about Mac’s again!

We might laugh at some of these, but many of these are real scenario’s, right?

There is a better way using Citrix XenDesktop.  XenDesktop simplifies the maintenance of your user environment because it is centrally managed, device independent, secure, optimized for remote users and flexible. The main value of Citrix XenDesktop is that it improves the productivity of the IT department and delivers the end user the experience they are asking for.

How does it work?

Citrix Dazzle – Free Apps!  Virtualized!  Did I mention, free?

Are you faster than a football player? – A little cheesy, but we have all felt Jason Taylor’s pain

XenApp Trade UP Program – Save up to 80%

XenDesktop ROI Calculator – Take a moment to check out the videos at the bottom of this page!

Brian Madden – Selling desktop virtualization to ‘traditional’ desktop admins

Windows 7: the Apple iPad Killer App?

Lewan VDI Workshop – A few seats are left in March to see Citrix and VMware’s VDI strategies side-by-side.

We can help you with demonstrations of the products, option analysis, assessments of your current desktop workload, proof-of-concepts, pilots, etc.  This is not a cookie cutter solution, so let’s discuss how this might fit into your Windows 7 strategy.

Security Benefits of VDI

This weekend I was surprised to read about a product, called the Stealth iBot PC Monitor, which is available from SkyMall.com. (The shopping magazine you find on airplanes)  They are selling a USB root kit device that “Covertly Record(s) Everything A Person Does On A Computer” for $149.95.  You can see it here:

http://bit.ly/9TWQDl

From a business information security & compliance perspective, this is a very scary product.  Think of all the sensitive data someone could gather about your organization with one of these affordable, easy to use devices.  So, what can we do to protect our businesses?

Lewan is helping address this problem with desktop virtualization.  When the desktop is virtualized, the IT department gains control and can ensure the desktop environment adheres to the same security policies that the data center does.  Here are some links to come information from the leader in this space, Citrix Systems.

Video – What is Citrix XenDesktop?

Here is a simple video overview of the benefits of a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).  This video includes the basics of VDI, FlexCast, HDX, blade PC’s, desktop streaming, virtual applications and local VM-desktops.

http://www.citrix.com/tv/#videos/724

Podcast – Virtual Desktop Security Podcast with Kurt Roemer, Chief Security Strategist for Citrix Systems

• Reduce the over-distribution of data and streamline compliance
• Deliver applications and data with greater security
• Increase control over access and user privileges

http://74.205.123.199/ctx_landing/pc_sec/

Sale! – Citrix Desktop Virtualization Trade Up Program – Save up to 80%

Do you already have Citrix Presentation Server (XenApp) in your environment?  Are you planning an upgrade?  If so, right now is a great time to look into a special pricing promotion from Citrix to upgrade to full XenDesktop and enjoy the benefits of VDI.  Act now because this program ends on June 30^th!

http://www.citrix.com/English/ps2/products/feature.asp?contentID=1858556

9/21/2009

Are you challenged by the end user community to deliver more flexibility, mobility, consistency, dependability, scalability, etc.?  How can you address this requirement, while maintaining our security, management, availability & quality of service requirements? 

 

Lewan can help & this week I would like to highlight a few areas we are watching to help local companies address these topics. 

 

Citrix XenApp Update  Official Site  Reuters  Network Computing

Citrix announces major changes to delivering applications by updating VM-based delivery, terminal services, power consumption, HDX, Flash, video, Microsoft integration, and more.  These updates will become available on September 29th, so get ready for Citrix to make a big splash.  

 

LifeSize HD Video to the Desktop  Official Site  NBC News  Local Event

Our video conferencing partner LifeSize is truly revolutionizing the way businesses use video to communicate.  We can now connect conference rooms, desktops & remote workers with HD voice, video & content with minimal bandwidth requirements.

 

Local Event - Microsoft’s The New Efficiency Party – September 24th Registration

This is a local event for Microsoft’s new web site, launch of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Exchange Server 2010. You can even get a free copy of Windows 7 if you attend!  Hope to see you there.