Vista

TCO for Windows Vista Leads to Evolutionary Improvements
Organizations expecting large total cost of ownership reductions after upgrading users to Vista will be disappointed. Some TCO reductions will occur, but the biggest benefits will come from better management beyond the use of base Vista features.

Gartner Urges Caution on Windows Vista Networking
Windows Vista and Windows Server "Longhorn" promise to improve network performance and security. But the many changes in these operating systems present their own risks, so most firms shouldn't hurry to deploy them for networking benefits.

Finding and Analyzing Migration Costs for Windows Vista
It will cost less for organizations with well-managed PCs to migrate to Windows Vista than those whose PCs are less tightly managed. The Gartner model shows that when companies rely on PC hardware attrition, they can cut migration costs by 40% to 60%.

Vista Enhances Mobility, but Not Enough to Justify Rushing Your Migration
Windows Vista's mobility features are useful; however, unless your organization has a compelling business need, they don't justify an accelerated migration of notebook users.

Windows Vista BitLocker: Good, but Not Great
Microsoft's BitLocker offers full disk encryption as an option for some users of Windows Vista. While BitLocker provides security benefits, for many organizations third-party solutions are a better alternative. Caution: A choice of BitLocker today will impact your virtualization choices tomorrow.

Ten Reasons You Should and Shouldn't Care About Windows Vista
Windows Vista is available for volume license customers. Many of Windows Vista's features are improvements over its predecessor, but users may not find them compelling enough to upgrade existing PCs.

Planning for Windows Vista's User Account Control
The collective capabilities of User Account Control are potentially the most important security and operations-related features of Windows Vista and may affect every organization and application. UAC needs to be planned for and configured properly to balance its benefits and inconveniences.

A 2008 Windows Vista Deployment Still Begins With 18 Months of Preparation
Most companies will spend 12 to 18 months testing and piloting Windows Vista. A 2008 deployment will mean that a lot of work needs to begin now, if it hasn't yet.

No Vista Coupons for Large Organizations
Microsoft's Express Upgrade to Windows Vista program provides low-cost upgrades to the new Windows version for users that buy the current version. But a limit of five per buyer excludes all but the smallest businesses.

Findings: Should Apple Focus on Selling to Mainstream Business Users?
Possible distribution or licensing deals could give Apple new options for attacking the enterprise market, but they are riskier than less-aggressive approaches to extend its current base. Nevertheless, IT managers should expect to see Macintosh re-enter their environments.

Microsoft IE7 Is a Strong Response to the Firefox Challenge
Microsoft is often at its best when facing a strong competitor. With Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft is a "fast follower" of competing browsers like Firefox, but it also offers several innovations.

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack: Benefits With a Catch
This new set of tools, available as a nonperpetual license add-on to Software Assurance, further addresses the historical Windows client SA value gap. The price is attractive, but there is significant lock-in to SA.

Predicts 2007: Client Computing Changes Abound
Hardware technology form factor changes will increase by 2010, along with greater manageability.

Volume Activation - Microsoft's Benefit, Your Cost
Microsoft's Volume License Activation will require organizations to do additional planning and work to help Microsoft recoup revenue lost to software piracy.

Deploy Windows Vista and Office 2007 Together, If It's Convenient
Microsoft believes it's better to deploy Windows Vista and Office 2007 together. Perhaps the biggest benefit of doing so is the convenience of only having to alter each PC once instead of twice. For companies planning to deploy both, this may be all the justification they require to proceed.

Competition With Web 2.0 Will Drive the Next Generation of Windows
Gartner speculates on the next generation of Windows and how competition with Web 2.0 will increase pressure toward rearchitecting Windows to meet the needs of Microsoft's Live vision.

Why the Client OS Matters Well Beyond 2011
The importance of Windows will decline with an increase in OS-agnostic applications; however, the ability to run Windows applications will be needed well beyond 2011, the end of the planning horizon, which means Windows will continue to be important.

Vista Will Be the Last Major Windows Release as We Know It
Vista will be the last major release of Windows in its current form. User demands, Microsoft's business needs and technology changes will move future versions toward a more modular architecture. The trend of bundling even more functionality is set to reverse.

Digital Rights Management Clouds Obscure the HD Vista
Windows Vista and the move to include high-definition video in the consumer PC experience will create friction between users and content providers as more restrictive content protection measures encroach on user expectations. PC industry players are likely to get caught in the middle.

Five Leverage Points to Use When Negotiating With Microsoft
Some customers believe that negotiating with Microsoft is futile; however, many others claim to have significantly reduced their Microsoft licensing costs using the five leverage points documented in this research.

Exclusives Provide Pressure for Windows Client SA
Microsoft has once again tried to improve the value in buying Software Assurance on the Windows client operating system by adding exclusive content. Some organizations will see substantial value in the latest enhancements. Others will see less value but will feel forced to sign up anyway.

Is Your PC Hardware 'Ready for Windows Vista'?
With a "Ready for Windows Vista" program to be announced soon, the new operating system's hardware requirements are becoming clearer. Most organizations will find little problem meeting the requirements with current systems, provided care is taken with memory and graphics card specifications.

It's Getting Too Late to Start Deploying Windows XP
Some companies running Windows 2000 on all their PCs are just starting to think about moving to Windows XP. To ensure independent software vendor support beyond 2009, these companies should plan to skip Windows XP and move straight to Windows Vista.

A 2008 Windows Vista Deployment Begins With 18 Months of Preparation
Most companies will spend 18 months testing and piloting Windows Vista. A 2008 deployment will mean that a lot of work needs to begin once Windows Vista ships, or even before.

Vista Deployment in 2007 Unlikely
The latest Windows Vista delay affects consumers more than businesses -- most of which wouldn't have been able deploy it until 2008 anyway. But once Microsoft misses the 4Q06 holiday season, further slippage is possible.

Apple Lets Users Choose Their Operating System
The Boot Camp program will offer a safety net for consumers running Windows XP on Intel-based Macs. But dual boot is not the experience most users want. A hypervisor-based Windows offering would be more useful.

Ten Reasons You Should and Shouldn't Care About Microsoft's Windows Vista Client
Microsoft plans to release Windows Vista by year-end 2006. Many of Windows Vista's features will be improvements over its predecessor, but users may not find them compelling enough to upgrade. Buyers should proceed with caution.

Windows Application Control Solutions Provide an Alternative for Desktop Lockdown
Desktop lockdown has traditionally been thought of strictly in terms of the user privilege level, which provides an all-or-nothing ability for users to install software. An emerging category of basic application control solutions breaks this limitation and provides an alternative approach.

Determining the Value of Microsoft Software Assurance
To help you decide whether to buy SA, Gartner analyzes all the components of this product offering and provides insight into the value proposition for each.

Respondents Share Aggressive Windows Vista, Office 2007 Plans in Survey
Organizations say they plan to begin migrations to Windows Vista and Office 2007 relatively early in their life cycles. We're skeptical they'll start so early.

Novell's Improved Linux Client
Novell's new client operating system has an improved user interface and features. But companies will still need to be selective about identifying the appropriate users for it.

Plan to Deal With Metadata Issues With Windows Vista
Microsoft enables users to add metadata to augment the search capability built into Windows Vista. Although simple tools for metadata removal will likely ship with the final version, you should have a policy for dealing with metadata management before deploying Windows Vista.

Office

Major Changes in 2007 Microsoft Office Suites Require Major Decisions
The Microsoft Office System is more than the suite; however, the suite is what users see most. With Office 2007, Microsoft takes some of its biggest chances as it makes changes to its interface and document formats.

Microsoft Strengthens Business Intelligence and Performance Management Offerings
Microsoft's brand awareness, developer community, installed base of desktop productivity products, and pricing and bundling of business intelligence and performance management offerings will make the products attractive options, especially to its installed base.

Developing a Strategy to Control Spreadsheets
Excel is a powerful and flexible platform that is often used to create high-value applications. Increasingly, external auditors are demanding documented control processes and sometimes technical controls for risk-relevant user-developed applications.

Deploy Windows Vista and Office 2007 Together, If It's Convenient
Microsoft believes it's better to deploy Windows Vista and Office 2007 together. Perhaps the biggest benefit of doing so is the convenience of only having to alter each PC once instead of twice. For companies planning to deploy both, this may be all the justification they require to proceed.

Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Alone May Not Be Enough for Workplace Needs
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 is at the heart of Microsoft's collaboration and content management vision. But companies may also have to depend on other Microsoft products to provide all the features they need.

The Growing Need for WSS Aggregation Will Contribute to Enterprise Adoption of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 offers a range of improvements in portal functionality, but the product's new Windows SharePoint Services aggregation capabilities are a compelling reason for enterprises to evaluate it in the first six to 12 months after its release.

Are Three Generations of SharePoint WebParts Enough?
With each major release of the SharePoint portal, Microsoft has defined a different model for portal components, trading forward-compatibility for platform evolution. As SharePoint deployments increase in scope and scale, weigh the potential impact of future changes to the WebParts model.

Use Portals to Aggregate Windows SharePoint Services Environments
Horizontal portal products provide the aggregation required by Windows SharePoint Services environments. Microsoft positions its portal for this purpose, but competing portal products can also be used to provide some level of WSS aggregation.

How to Prevent Windows SharePoint Services Anarchy
Deployments of Windows SharePoint Services are growing fast, as this technology is easy to implement at the departmental level. Organizations must control these deployments -- without smothering innovation -- or face WSS chaos.

Q&A: Microsoft's Content Management Software and Strategy
Microsoft promises cost-effective, basic content management functionality in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and moves closer toward enterprise content management with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. We answer your questions about these products.

Migration Road Map for Microsoft Web Content Management
Microsoft's future Web content management offering is based on its new SharePoint technologies. This will have huge implications for the WCM strategies of customers of existing Microsoft content management systems.

An Update on Microsoft's BPM Strategy and Delivery
Microsoft has made further progress in business process management with tools like Windows Workflow Foundation, BizTalk Server, InfoPath and SharePoint. But it has some work to do to execute its "People-Ready Process" strategy.

Microsoft Aims at Stand-Alone Search With New Product
Microsoft's announcement of a stand-alone search product brings it in line with IBM and Oracle in treating enterprise search tools as crucial offerings. But the new application doesn't stand out in terms of features.

Microsoft's Knowledge Network Will Foster Expertise Location
A forthcoming add-on to Office SharePoint Server 2007 will combine expertise location with social-network analysis. Those committed to SharePoint will find it valuable, provided they allay users' concerns about privacy infringement.

Microsoft's Unified Communication and Collaboration Gambit
Microsoft revealed its audacious plan for moving into the UCC market, underscoring the dramatic changes in store for the way users communicate and collaborate. Microsoft, however, faces daunting challenges in realizing its vision.

Microsoft's Exchange 2007 Could Set the Future for E-Mail
The release of Exchange 2007, Microsoft's new e-mail system, will have broad implications for the overall e-mail market and may offer Microsoft the potential to usher in a new era of converged communication technologies.

Microsoft Gets Into the Groove With Office Enterprise 2007
When it bought Groove Networks, Microsoft got a product with many similar functions to SharePoint Services. Now, with Ray Ozzie in charge, Office Enterprise 2007 may well secure a future for distinctive Groove features.

Migrating From Lotus Notes/Domino to MS Office System Needs Careful Planning
IBM clients with a good business case for moving customized, rich applications to Microsoft should plan carefully. So, consider retiring Lotus Notes/Domino systems from 2010, but only if Microsoft makes migration easier.

Status Report on Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0
Well into its first year on the market, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Version 3.0 is proving to be more successful than earlier releases; however, it still faces competitive challenges with its hosting strategy.

Web 2.0 Poses a Threat and an Opportunity to Microsoft
Web 2.0 represents, simultaneously, the biggest threat and opportunity for Microsoft. The vendor's traditional business model is clearly threatened, yet the opportunities in advertising may be a better chance for growth than most of its other businesses.

Will Google Make Web 2.0 Real for the Workplace?
Google appears ready to deliver workplace applications -- and a Web 2.0 workplace suite -- in the near future. Delivery hinges on Google's current advertising revenue, a highly efficient data center and a possible sprinkling of subscription revenue.

Microsoft's 'Live' Strategy Is a First Step Into the World of SaaS
Microsoft is beginning to address the world of software as a service. Its Office Live and Windows Live strategies are the first steps down that path.

How Long Should You Run Your Current Version of Office?
It's common for companies to skip versions of Office. Although you don't need to be on the latest version, unless you find compelling features, you need to consider the issues of running older versions so that you can plot your course.

Office 2007 Delay Will Cause More SA Customers to Lose Rights
The delay of Office 2007 means customers that renewed Software Assurance in October (and probably November) 2003, and that don't plan to renew again, will join those that renewed in September 2003 in getting no new release.

Microsoft Shrewdly Funds Open XML Translator Project
Microsoft is taking an unusual approach to OpenDocument support for Office by enabling other companies and the open-source community to do the work. This is a good move that will help diffuse criticism of Office 2007.

ISO's OASIS OpenDocument Backing Hits Microsoft
International standards bodies' unanimous approval of ISO/IEC 26300 moves OASIS OpenDocument Format to being the official XML document format. It is now unlikely that ISO will adopt Microsoft's Open XML document format.

Office Software Battle Moves to Open-Source Theater
Microsoft won the first battle of the office software war with its proprietary format, which users decided they needed for compatibility. The next battle will be to replace the proprietary format with an "open" or "standard" one, and both Microsoft and the open-source community have contenders.

Microsoft E-Mail Momentum Growing at IBM's Expense
Client inquiries indicate that Microsoft is gaining momentum in the e-mail and calendaring market, and the trend appears to be accelerating. Users should focus on business requirements, not just vendor marketing claims, when making technology decisions.

Survey: Moving to Windows XP, Office 2003
Windows XP is now the majority client operating system on desktops and notebooks. Office 2003 is increasing its installed base, but mostly at companies with Software Assurance.

Respondents Share Aggressive Windows Vista, Office 2007 Plans in Survey
Organizations say they plan to begin migrations to Windows Vista and Office 2007 relatively early in their life cycles. We're skeptical they'll start so early.

Effects of Patent Case on Access Users
A patent ruling will require changes to some Microsoft Office and Access installations. Only new installations are affected, but most businesses will need to take some action.

Release of Office 2007 Also Delayed
Now that Microsoft has confirmed the release dates for Office 2007, Software Assurance customers should check their agreement end dates to see if they will receive rights to it.

Enterprisewide OSO Adoption Will Be Difficult
The continued viability of most versions of Microsoft Office, combined with compatibility, fidelity and functionality issues, make open-source office alternatives to Microsoft Office difficult to adopt across a whole company.