Paul Thurrott: Windows 8 Secrets

• VDI enhancements:With updates to RemoteFX and Windows Server 2012, users can access virtualized instances of Windows 8 Enterprise from the data center and receive rich desktop experiences via thin clients, including, interestingly, Windows RT-based tablets. (See the following section for more information about Windows RT in the enterprise.)

• Windows 8 (Metro-style) app deployment:Domain-joined PCs and tablets running Windows 8 Enterprise will automatically be enabled to “side-load” internal, Windows 8 Metro-style apps, bypassing the Windows Store.

While ARM-based Windows RT tablets and devices are aimed squarely at the consumer market, Microsoft also knows that these devices will be hugely popular at work, because they’re deployed by the employer or because users will simply choose to use them to get work done. There’s just one problem: Windows RT, like the basic version of Windows 8, doesn’t support domain join, so you can’t integrate your Windows sign-in with your employer’s Active Directory environment. Fortunately, Windows RT has two things going for it that will somewhat mitigate this issue.

First, Windows RT, like all versions of Windows 8, fully supports the Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) management protocol, the same technology that businesses use to manage devices all of kinds, including Windows Phones, Apple iPhones and iPads, Android handsets and tablets, and many other devices. EAS provides a ton of management functionality, including:

• Push-based corporate e-mail, calendaring, tasks, and contacts:And these all integrate with the appropriate Metro-style apps on Windows RT, including Mail, Calendar, and People.

• Password:Your workplace can specify a minimum password length, that a password is required to use the device, that an alphanumeric password is required, and password reset intervals. After a failed number of sign-in attempts, the device can be remote wiped or disabled. And many, many more password policies are available.

• Timeout:Your workplace can specify that if the device is left unused for a set period of time, it will be locked automatically.

• Device encryption:Your employer can require that any disks attached to the device be encrypted. This can include the primary storage device (the internal hard disk or SSD) as well as external storage. Windows RT provides this support with device encryption.

• Hardware device disabling:Your workplace can specify that certain devices in the Windows RT tablet be disabled, including the camera, Bluetooth, IrDA, and more.

• Software disabling:Your employer can specify that certain types of software be disabled, including consumer e-mail, POP3/IMAP e-mail, web browser, and more.

Second, Microsoft is providing a special Windows RT management client that will allow users to connect to a self-service portal on their employer’s servers and browse and install Metro-style line of business (LOB) apps that would otherwise require a domain connection, as well as perform other duties. Key among these is the ability of the employer to specify compliance around certain EAS-type policies such as device encryption, the enabling of Auto Updates, and the configuration of antivirus and anti-spyware solutions.

While these capabilities don’t quite amount to domain join, they do remove most of the pain with using a Windows RT-based device for work in a managed environment. It remains to be seen how many companies will be forward leaning enough to implement this in the years ahead, however.

There’s no doubt that Windows 8 is a huge upgrade for consumers, a revolutionary new version of Windows that will allow Microsoft’s most successful product line to enter new markets for touch-based portable devices. But Windows 8 isn’t just about fun and games. Like previous Windows versions, it comes well-stocked with an abundance of business-oriented features, including updated versions of many preexisting features like domain join and Group Policy support, EFS, BitLocker and BitLocker To Go, and more.

Windows 8 includes new business features, too. It picks up the powerful Hyper-V virtualization platform from Windows Server 2012, providing users with an astonishing new tool for managing virtual environments and resources. And Hyper-V is further bolstered by new VHD shell integration and a new Virtual Machine Connection client. Remote desktop users will find both Metro-style and desktop clients as well as a secure version of Remote Desktop Host that will allow you to access your own desktop PC remotely.

Those corporations that opt for Windows 8 Enterprise will see several other additional features. And even consumer-oriented Windows RT tablets can make their way into businesses thanks to Exchange ActiveSync compatibility and a unique management client.

Table A-1:Windows Key Keyboard Shortcuts

Note that some Windows key shortcuts can be used in tandem with the Shift key to cycle objects in the opposite direction.

Executive Editor:Carol Long