Ready To Roll Out Windows 7?
The conventional wisdom is to never deploy a new operating system before the first service pack. But that thinking might be misguided with Windows 7, which is scheduled for release on Oct. 22.
First, Windows 7 shares much of Vista’s core code base, and that code has been improved and enhanced during Vista’s troubled tenure. This means the new OS will look and feel more like what Vista should have been from the get-go. Second, Microsoft is combating the “wait until SP1” notion by maintaining its position in regard to Windows XP, which has passed from mainstream support to the purgatory of extended support. What does that mean? You’ll only get critical security-related updates for XP.
Our review will focus on a standard OS deployment, meaning we won’t look at rolling out Windows 7 in a virtual desktop environment. The goal of this Rolling Review is simple: Simulate how easy, or painful, it will be to upgrade client systems to Windows 7 in a distributed environment.
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Ready To Roll Out Windows 7?
About the Author
Randy George has covered a wide range of network infrastructure and information security topics in his three years as an InformationWeek Analytics and Network Computing contributor and security beat owner. He has 13 years of experience in enterprise IT as a senior-level systems analyst and network engineer and holds professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco and Check Point.
Randy earned a BS in computer engineering from Wentworth Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management.
