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Windows 7 – The wait is over…

The latest Microsoft operating system, Windows 7, is now available for business users and unlike its predecessor, Vista, it has been very well received in the market so far with a tonne of features and functionality.

First and foremost, the major problems that arose with Vista have been fixed in Windows 7 – it runs faster on the equivalent hardware and won’t require a major hardware upgrade for the majority of users. Windows 7 has been designed to provide a fast and secure desktop environment with usability enhancements implemented throughout.

The three areas which Microsoft has identified as having the major improvements are in usability (it “works the way you want”, productivity (you can “get more done”) and security (allows you to “safeguard your work”).

So what’s actually changed or improved? Here’s the official list of key features from Microsoft:

Usability Features & Benefits

Wireless Networking
Windows 7 has improved the way in which it links to wireless networks making it easier to detect and connect to wireless, VPN and mobile networks.

Problem Steps Recorder
This intuitive new features allows users to record the actions they take when carrying out a task – this allows them to pass on the steps they carried out when reaching a problem, or can be used for training purposes to show users clearly how to use their software.

Fix Problems Quickly
In Windows 7 Professional the Action Centre is the hub of security for your day to day activities – a white flag appears in the bottom right of your screen at all time when your system is running fine, if a problem occurs or your attention is needed for security purposes you are alerted and taken to teh action centre to fix or prevent the problem.

Create Your Own Network
To easily and quickly share files with colleagues you can now set up ‘Homegroups’ which simply require a password to set up and join – this can even be done without a server.

Run XP Applications
Whilst Windows 7 is compatible with the majority of XP devices and applications it can also run in Windows XP mode to give you the flexibility to run many older XP productivity applications directly from your Windows 7 desktop.

Productivity Features & Benefits

Access your files and programs anywhere
With Remote Desktop Connection users can access documents and programs on a remote PC with a simple logon process – putting the user in control of their remote computing experience and increasing productivity.

Find more, search less
The search functionality has been hugely improved and can be used instantly from the Start Menu to search for documents, files, applications and setting options.

See it all in one place
Windows 7 libraries help you find and organize your files by displaying them in one location even if they are stored on different PCs or shared locations.

Imagine a desktop as smart as you are
Simplified tool bars and windows can help you to shave seconds or even minutes off your daily tasks by making live and regularly used applications easily available at all times, and the new transparent views allow you to switch between multiple windows quickly and easily.

Focus on your business
The Aero Desktop helps to make working with Windows 7 Professional intuitive and easy with intelligent functions such as dragging a window to the side of the screen instantly sets it to a half screen view allowing to you to view two documents side by side.

Print at work and at home
Location Aware Printing can detect whether or not users are at work or at home (or somewhere else!) send documents to the right printer wherever they are without a complicated setup procedure.

Get more life out of your PC
Windows 7 power options save battery life so you can use your PC longer—from anywhere and get more done from a single Laptop battery charge.

Make presentations on the go
Setting your laptop up to link with a projector is now made simple with Windows 7 with dedicated presentation settings – this easily allows the extension of your display to a projector and even stops email and instant message alerts.

Spend more time finding
Internet Explorer 8 comes with standard with Windows 7 allowing you to find information on the internet quicker than ever before.

Security Features & Benefits

Improve the security of your business
Internet Explorer 8 has been built from the ground up to keep up to date with the latest security threat - helping protect your business from malware and phishing scams.

Back it up without the fuss
Windows 7 makes creating regular PC backups easy so regular, automatic backups can be put in place to protect all of your files and data – this backup can be made through a step-by-step process locally or to a network location.

Work and play safely
Data encryption in Windows 7 Professional allows you to protect folders that include confidential or sensitive information quickly and easily in case your computers are ever lost or stolen, preventing that data from being accessed by anyone else.

Restore previous versions of your files
Accidental deletions or changes to files are no longer a problem with Windows 7 with the Restore Previous Version function which allows you to restore files to their original location or copy them to another location on your PC.

As you can see there has been a huge step forward from Vista with this version of Windows, so if you’re looking to move your IT infrastructure onto the next level, Windows 7 will almost certainly be part of that – and with the additional functionality in the new software it will certainly have a positive effect on your business system.

If you wish to discuss how Windows 7 can help your business, or to discuss pricing and implementation you can email us at marketing@hbpsystems.com or phone 01724 400303 and we’ll put you in touch with one of our specialists.