Some observers and reviews simply say that the Windows 8 is BAD for desktop experience. There are even those who claims that the new OS will reduce productivity in the office.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of new features and improvements that deserve our attention:
UEFI Replaces BIOS to Enhance and Secure Booting
Microsoft will require that new PCs bearing the Windows 8 logo use a new boot solution called Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), which will significantly improve the boot process and experience. It replaces the archaic Basic Input Output System (BIOS) that we’ve used for decades. For those of you who wonder why the need for change, it was due to an extremely fast booting process...something that will blow your mind when you first use the PC running Windows 8.
You’ll see much faster boot times, on the order of 8 seconds from pressing the power button to being in Windows. This, along with less need for restarts, can help increase productivity in the office and save IT personnel time when applying upgrades or installing software.
Safeguards built into UEFI can also help save the IT department time and resources over the long term. Secure Boot prevents unauthorized operating systems from loading, and Early Launch Anti-Malware (ELAM) protects against boot loader attacks. UEFI will also allow remote diagnostics and repair of computers within the pre-OS environment. So instead of physically sending a technician to visit a PC experiencing boot issues, it might be possible to repair and restore the machine over the network. This is something that can change the work structure in an incredible way.
FULL WINDOWS experience on the Go...using a Tablet!!
This is probably the main reason for the introduction of Windows 8....to enable a full Windows experience on mobile devices such as the tablets...
We’ll likely see the same with x86-based Windows 8 Pro tablets and tablet-laptop hybrids, as they’ll offer the new metro-style Start screen in addition to the full Windows environment. This means that tablet users can have the same familiar Windows applications, including a full copy of Microsoft Office 2013, and Metro-style apps on both their desktop PC and their mobile device. For IT staffers, this means easier device and network management as they can use an existing Windows management infrastructure.
Bear in mind that these benefits apply only to x86-based tablets loaded with Windows 8 Pro. Tablets with ARM processors running Windows Run Time (RT) will support only the Metro-style apps, so they won’t be able to deliver the full Windows experience.
Windows To Go
If you have not heard about Windows To Go, you are missing something unique about Windows 8.
The new Windows To Go feature in Windows 8 Enterprise will allow you put a clean install or an existing Windows 8 image onto a 32GB or higher USB thumb drive or a portable drive and boot it from another PC. This is similar to what you might have seen with Linux distributions running from a live CD or a USB drive. Although booting up a Windows To Go drive is officially supported only on PCs certified for Windows 7 and later, it might also work on PCs running Windows XP and Vista. Don't think of this as a stripped down Windows...no...this is the real deal...we are talking about having it Windows on the Go.
Windows To Go can be useful for telecommuters and temporary contractors, because they can essentially fit an entire PC environment--loaded with the all the apps, settings, and files they need--in their pocket and boot into it with their own PC. This would be much more efficient than having to carry a physical computer from place to place. Windows To Go could also make the perfect backup OS for PCs that become infected or corrupt. And it can be managed by and secured with standard enterprise management tools such, as SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager) and Active Directory group policies, just like an ordinary Windows PC. The USB drive can also be encrypted with BitLocker to prevent data theft if it’s ever lost or stolen.
Networking Improvements Help Network Administrators
Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 include many new and enhanced networking features useful for administrators.
Native NIC (network interface card) teaming provides network connection load balancing and failover by bonding two or more network interfaces. The updated Server Message Block (SMB) protocol improves the availability, performance, administration, and security of file shares and storage resources, with new features like encryption and transparent failover.
The new IP Address Management (IPAM) feature of Windows Server 2012 helps admins discover, monitor, audit, and manage a network’s IP addressing. Finally, DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) has also been improved to provide server failover ability and policy-based assignments.
Well, there are definitely more than just these new 4 addition...trust me, Windows 8 will be something exciting, for better or worse...because this is the OS that Microsoft is betting on....Steve Ballmer is putting everything at stake here....to win over the mobile market, to enhance the opportunity for their cloud market and at the same time, maintaining the momentum in the desktop and business environment...so stay tune for more excitement...
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