Windows Server 2008, which is launched
on 27 February, will be implemented by General Motors (GM)Tube Lines, Newham Borough Council and
frozen food supplier Windrush this year after succesful
pilots.
Analysts expect
most IT directors to delay upgrading until 2009, but people who
have started using Windows Server 2008 have said the operating
system offered improved network administration and IT
management.
Tube Lines is deploying Terminal Services, a function in Windows
Server 2008 that enables users to access Windows applications
remotely from thin client PCs. Adrian Davey, head of IT at
Tubelines, said, "The challenges as we upgrade the Piccadilly,
Northern and Jubilee lines is providing our engineers at remote
sites with access to applications." Windows 2008 Terminal Services
is used to provide engineers with remote access to Tube Lines'
Windows applications.
By using HP blade servers to run Windows Server 2008 Terminal
Services, Davey said Tube Lines would be able to reduce the number
of servers it runs by 90% and support the company's green
efficiency drive. The software will replace Citrix Metaframe. Davey
said, "We will not require a Citrix licence and the support costs
associated with it anymore."
Newham Borough Council also plans to benefit from the Terminal
Services function in Windows Server 2008. Geoff Connell, head of
ICT at Newham borough council, said, "We will have a high
proportion of our staff working part time from home so access to
line of business systems through Terminal Services is crucial for
us."
Robbie Roberts, IT manager at Windrush, a supplier of food for
restaurants and hotels, has been using a pre-release version of
Windows Server 2008 for the past six months. The company has found
it no longer needed to run a third-party network authentication
products to provide detailed control over who can access IT
systems.
Car and lorry maker General Motors plans to deploy the
software's virtualisation feature to lower IT costs and speed up
the time taken to deliver new IT services to the company, according
to Brian Rice, services information officer at General Motors.