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Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 – Better Together
by David Tan, Chief Technology Officer,
CHIPS Technology Group LLC
 Lost in all
the hype about the recent Windows 7 is the excitement
around the simultaneous launch of Windows Server 2008 R2. There are
probably a few reasons this launch has been so overlooked. First, as
I mentioned, it came hand-in-hand with the desktop launch. Clearly,
Microsoft's marketing team doesn't plan any "I'm a Windows Server"
commercials to go along with their current "I'm a PC" campaign, so
the masses will often not know about the server. Second is the
naming convention. This is the second time Microsoft has chosen to
stick the R2 moniker at the end of a server product name (Windows
Server 2003 R2 started the trend) for some unknown reason. I realize
they probably don't want to go through a rebranding campaign every
18 months, but R2 does add much excitement to a product launch. Make
no mistake however; Server 2008 R2 is a substantial new product
release with a wealth of outstanding new features, and something to
certainly get excited about.
There is
good reason why the new network operating systems was shipped the
same time as the desktop. There are a ton of features that are
designed to work specifically with clients running Windows 7. It's
clearly Microsoft's hope that if the lure of Windows 7 on its own is
not enough to force a desktop upgrade, the combined power of the two
will push it over the edge. They may be on to something with this
strategy. While some of the stand-alone or upgraded features are
awesome (new versions of Hyper-V and Remote Desktop Services, better
performance and scalability), it's when you combine Server 2008 R2
with Windows 7 that you get all the real benefits.
First among
the new features to get excited about is BranchCache. As the name
would suggest, BranchCache is a technology that allows machines
running Windows 7 in remote (or branch) offices to cache commonly
used content for much faster access times and performance. This also
cuts down on the bandwidth needed at these locations, saving money
for the organization. Technology like this has long been available
with expensive hardware and software solutions, but Windows Server
2008 R2 includes it right in the product, making it affordable and
easy to implement.
Another
exciting new feature is called DirectAccess. The technical
specifications of this are well beyond the scope of this article,
but basically, Direct Access is a method for remote users to connect
directly to network resources without the cost and complexity of a
VPN connection. This gives remote users the exact same experience
inside the office or out, and makes things like accessing internal
links in e-mails or managing network shortcuts absolutely seamless.
This is all done while maintaining the strict security requirements
that you put in place for your organization.
Windows
Server 2008 R2 also shines with new security and performance
features. Technologies like read-only DFS replicas help you lock
down your digital assets which are often the keys to the company
castle, even in remote locations that you can't physically monitor
closely. For companies considering a desktop virtualization
initiative as a way to cut costs and improve management, the new
RemoteApp & Desktop (RAD) feature improves on the end-user
experience and makes performance for these configurations as good if
not better than their traditional desktop counterparts. If you do
use VPN connections for remote offices or users, the new Agile VPN
feature significantly enhances the resiliency of these connections,
allowing users to focus on work, not connectivity issues.
As you can
clearly see, Microsoft has built their new Server and Desktop
operating systems to really work better hand-in-hand. If you haven't
looked at Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7 for that matter, now
is a really good time to consider the cost and performance benefits
of an upgrade for your organization. If you want to know how this
can benefit you, contact us to talk about a demo or a pilot of the
new systems today. |
