Microsoft says its Windows Vista operating system will
offer improvements in security, usability, stability and
manageability - but is this enough to justify a costly upgrade?
Cliff Saran reports
Later this year, Microsoft is planning to release the next
version of its desktop Windows operating system, which it says will
provide the ultimate in usability, stability and manageability.
According to Microsoft, the Windows Vista operating system will
sport a smart new user interface, designed to streamline the
computing experience.
But it is not the look and feel that will attract IT directors.
Security is a top concern and Microsoft has spent the past four
years on its Trustworthy Computing initiative to improve the
security of Windows.
Windows Vista will include a number of security enhancements,
including protection of user data, lower-privilege execution of
Internet Explorer and other key applications, and built-in firewall
improvements.
One of the main security concerns is that end-users often remain
logged in with full administrator privileges, when it is normally
unnecessary to do so. User Account Control (UAC) is designed to
help balance the flexibility and power of an administrator account,
and the security of a standard user account. Users need to set
administration rights only when they want to install a new
program.
One emerging hardware technology that Vista will support is the
Trusted Platform Module (TPM), a specification for hardware
cryptography that will enable data on hard disks to be encrypted
fully.
Microsoft's PC2005 specification, which defines the
specification of hardware for Vista, outlines how machines running
a TPM chipset can ensure features such as Secure Startup and
Full-Volume Encryption can be implemented on a TPM-enabled machine
that has the Vista logo.
"The main feature related to trustworthy computing is Safe Boot,
which will provide TPM-protected full-disk encryption of Windows
volumes," says industry analyst Burton Group.
Safe Boot is designed to ensure no one alters the operating
system or its configuration files between the time the machine is
powered down and when it is rebooted.
Microsoft is also including a tool called Windows Defender,
which helps protect users against spyware and other potentially
unwanted software. Back-up has been addressed with a feature called
Windows Backup, and a related feature, Volume Shadow Copy, which
was first introduced with the Windows Server product family and is
now available for PCs.
Microsoft has attempted to make Vista a far more secure
operating system than its predecessors, and according to Ovum
analyst David Bradshaw, "Improving security will be an increasingly
important issue due to the greater sophistication of hacking by
organised crime."
Bradshaw recommends users put security as their top priority for
upgrading to Vista. He believes many of the non-security features
promised by Microsoft are likely to be bundled in a future service
pack for Windows XP, making it less compelling to upgrade based on
the new features in Windows Vista.
He says, "While Microsoft says Vista will be more secure, we
will not know [for certain] until people start looking for
vulnerabilities."
Besides security, Microsoft is also including in Vista a set of
programming interfaces dubbed WinFX, the next version of its .net
framework for developing web services applications, and Windows
Communications Foundation, a programming model to help users link
applications together.
Mark Quirk, head of technology at Microsoft UK's Developer &
Platform Group, says the Windows Communications Foundation
(formerly known as Indigo) will be the main programming interface
for connecting applications. In the past, users have been offered a
choice of approaches, such as .net, DCom (Distributed Common object
model) and RPC (Remote Procedure Call).
"Now there will be one model," says Quirk. This is designed to
handle both communications across the internet, where the
applications communicate via XML web services, and direct
connections, where two .net applications on the same machine need
to exchange information.
Along with the Windows Communications Foundation, Microsoft is
including in Vista an extension to .net called Windows Workflow
Foundation, for building collaborative workflow into
applications.
Other improvements are being made to desktop search functions
and a new version of the browser, Internet Explorer 7.0, now offers
tabbed browsing.
The cost of migration to Vista is likely to be high: users will
need to test all applications on the new platform and factor in the
cost of new desktop PC hardware when replacement desktops are
needed.
Robin Bloor, partner at Hurwitz & Associates, says, "Right
now, all that CIOs are doing is having Vista evaluated to assess
the impact, so they can plan the speed and timing of migration. The
costs of the desktop, and particularly desktop management, are
regarded as high, and Vista is not viewed as making much of an
impact on this."
In most companies, he says, there is no great enthusiasm to do
more than run a gradual replacement strategy as and when the time
seems right. To some extent, this depends on current licence
arrangements with Microsoft.
While users will be driven by issues relating to the
availability of software support and the improvements to security,
some experts have questioned whether an operating system upgrade
can really add business value.
Neil Macehiter, a partner at analyst firm Macehiter Ward-Dutton,
says, "The features by themselves are not compelling enough to
[make the case to] upgrade to Vista. It is the business processes
that matter and these are delivered at a much higher level [in the
company] than the operating system." For instance, he says, many
businesses have already invested in improved processes and
third-party software to enhance security.
Macehiter says very few users would see the benefit of bundling
enterprise software capabilities in the operating system, and may
already be using enterprise software that provides far greater
functionality than Vista includes.
"The search capability could remove effort in finding files on
the desktop, but users would be looking at tools like Autonomy and
Verity to provide enterprise search," he says.
One of the key components that may make Vista compelling for
corporate users is WinFS, and this will not be available when the
operating system ships. WinFS is an essential piece of Microsoft's
integrated storage strategy. It is designed to bridge the gap
between file systems and databases and provides a unified
programming platform for all data - structured, semi-structured and
unstructured.
Mike Thompson, principal analyst at Butler Group, says that
without WinFS there is "no reason for corporate users to upgrade to
Vista". He suggests the main reason businesses would consider Vista
is if they operate in a graphics-heavy environment, such as
multimedia.
"Vista is all concerned with multimedia," he says. "If WinFS was
included, it would be worth upgrading to Vista."
Thompson has noticed hardware manufacturers have been taking on
more of the traditional responsibilities of the operating system,
such as handling security and device management. "Chip makers are
driving forward developments on the desktop," he says.
This means there is less emphasis on the operating system's
management and security capabilities, two factors that can affect
the cost of running desktop IT. Thompson adds, "Users can already
buy some Vista functionality from third parties." For instance,
Google already offers desktop search and companies like Autonomy
specialise in enterprise search, which allows users to look for
information across a company.
A recent study on users' migration plans conducted by Forrester
Research found that enthusiasm for Vista has waned.
"Almost 33% of the large firms we surveyed told us they would
start deploying Vista when available or when Service Pack 1 (SP1)
is released - but that is down from about 43% in 2004," says
Forrester Research senior analyst Simon Yates.
Forrester believes firms are more interested in stability and
consistency in the PC environment than in new features, and Windows
XP meets the vast majority of its users' needs. Yates says the
replacement of PCs generally occurs in waves when firms either
realise that the cost of supporting older systems is rising too
quickly, or when hardware pricing becomes compelling.
The question IT directors must address is whether and when to
upgrade. Those who have spent time and effort updating to Windows
XP, then testing and installing the SP2 patch, may well decide to
delay any decision to upgrade, say industry analysts.
Users running older operating systems, such as Windows 2000,
will find an upgrade is essential to ensure they continue running a
supported operating system, because mainstream support for Windows
2000 is set to end on 30 June this year.
But rather than skip a release, analyst firm Gartner is
recommending businesses running Windows 2000 install XP before
Vista. Gartner research vice-president Mike Silver says, "In order
to skip XP and go straight to Vista, you will need to ensure
[software providers] support Vista. This could prove risky,
particularly with smaller suppliers that generally take more time
to upgrade applications."
Silver expects most companies to bring in new PCs and run
Windows XP while they test and pilot Vista for application
compatibility. Gartner has predicted users will start deploying
Vista during 2008.
Organisations running Windows XP can wait a little longer to
start deploying Vista and can migrate as they buy new hardware,
leaving older PCs running Windows XP until they are replaced, says
Gartner.
"The reason we suggest migration through hardware attrition is
that physically touching each PC and installing a new operating
system is usually an expensive, manual task," the firm adds.
Gartner warns that users need to take into account both the labour
cost of installing the software and the cost of the Windows
licence. "Only consider upgrading a PC that has more than half its
useful life, or at least two years of useful life, left."
Users will need to decide whether the improved user interface,
desktop search, .net programming interfaces and security
enhancements will be enough to justify the effort required to
certify applications and roll out Vista. Some may decide to upgrade
as and when PCs are replenished and run a mixed Windows XP and
Vista desktop infrastructure. Others may hold off, continue running
XP, and take a "big bang" approach with a planned Vista upgrade in
a few years' time.
Whichever approach is taken, the availability of applications
will be a major factor in deciding when to upgrade to Vista. There
are no guarantees of a seamless upgrade path. As always, extensive
testing and pilot roll-outs will be key.
Upgrading to Vista: factors to consider
Firms are just completing their XP upgrades
The prospect of beginning another migration next year is not
very appealing. For the first time in recent years, firms have a
single version of the Windows operating system to support. Some are
sticking with Windows 2000 for now.
Vista enthusiasm has waned
Forrester believes firms are more interested in stability and
consistency in the PC environment than in new features, and Windows
XP meets the vast majority of its users' needs. Regardless of the
timing of PC upgrades, users should evaluate and test Windows Vista
throughout 2006.
Aggressive PC refresh won't kick in until
2008
Despite efforts to standardise on three or four-year refresh
cycles, corporate PC refresh is rarely a linear, predictable
process, and Forrester expects a slowdown in 2006 and 2007. Refresh
tends to occur in waves when firms either realise the cost of
supporting older systems is rising too quickly, or when hardware
pricing is compelling.
Plans to drop Software Assurance on the
client
One side effect of upgrade apathy is that some firms that bought
Software Assurance are thinking about dropping it. Microsoft has
announced enhancements to Software Assurance, including expanded
problem resolution support, proactive planning assistance, more
training vouchers, and the waiving of annual fees and deadlines for
Extended Hotfix Support Agreements covering products in the
Extended Support phase. The big question is whether these additions
are enough to overcome the apathy about PC upgrades.
Source: Forrester Research