Today Microsoft has started the fight back against the “myths” surrounding Vista.

It was interesting to see the negative press (from 2000) that it turns out dated back to the release of XP and compare the similarities between then (XP) and now (Vista). It is fair to say that XP has proved to be a reliable and stable operating system and this is potentially one of the factors why Vista has not had the uptake that Microsoft would have hoped.

However this is not to say that the first release 18 months ago was without fault, far from it, and you sometimes have to wonder why some of the mistakes of the past have been repeated. Remember ME anybody?

Microsoft doesn’t often need a reason to pick a fight so the fact they have been slow to respond against the negative press would seem to go against the type. It would appear that they want to get all their ducks in a row before they come out fighting. Well, watch out as the day has arrived.

The next few weeks and months will see an aggressive marketing campaign highlighting the benefits of Vista which could include:

• 20% fewer security attacks than XP


• You are 60% less likely to get a Malware attack if you are running Vista


• Bit Locker will not only protect the data drive via encryption but also gives you the benefit of implementation post build, no need for a TPM chip and can all be managed via Active Directory and Group Policy.

The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) has been the most rapidly adopted licence in Microsoft’s history with 8.5 Million sales in the last 12 months.

How does this apply to Vista?

The MDOP package gives you the capability to assess the network devices with reporting capabilities that will give an overview as to which devices can run Vista now and which can’t. This, coupled with an ROI calculator, can help justify the upgrade to Vista.

Windows Mobile 6.1

This revision will enable greater manageability of mobile devices with the integration of System Centre for control of all endpoints from the centre, particularly when allied to the new and wide-ranging remote device management features in Exchange 2007 SP1.

The claim that users can achieve 20% additional battery life on the same device will be evidenced with user experience being the ultimate judge. This said users have a short memory so no doubt the fact that this benefit may be realised will soon be forgotten.

Smart tools like automatic ring tone silence if you are scheduled to be in a meeting are handy, but smart tools and features are always horses for courses.

“Gen-Y-ers”

One of the benefits of the Microsoft conference’s wide agenda is that it’s not just about technology. There are often real gems hidden amongst the “ra-ra” sessions. We attended one presentation today on the impact of “Generation-Y” hitting the work-place with a vengeance, as the baby-boomers retire, creating real pressure on the global workforce in all industry sectors, not just IT. There was a good amount of thought provoking discussion, along with practical steps that businesses can take to mitigate the risks. Amongst other psychological points, a key “take-away” for me was that this is the generation that wonders why us oldies “can’t get our jobs done in 40, 50 or 60 hours a week” – they believe that if you use technology to work smarter, then you can work less and live more, whilst achieving the same amount. These are the expectations of the people joining the workforce now, and they will be expecting us to use technology to let them do more with less – whatever sector we are in.

I think that people in our industry are capable of teaching old dogs new tricks.

And Finally...

As a footnote, through an empirical experiment, we’ve been finding that One Note Mobile on Windows Mobile 6 is actually proving to be a usable alternative to the usual A4 pad for note taking through the long days (sympathy please) at the conference. Traditionally battery life, slowness and questionable screen quality (eye-strain) have made us go back to good old pen and paper. Oh dear, how green...

With the latest devices (HTC Touch), you can get a day’s note-taking and calls, WiFi email synching, with enough left in the tank to sync back to One Note on the PC. Saves paper, can include sound recordings and pictures, and because it’s all electronic, completely searchable. Try finding the four instances of “Exchange SP1” in your twelve pages of hand-written notes!