Check Us Out on TwitterMicrosoft Windows Vista for Small to Medium-sized Businesses
Is Now the Right Time for Your Business to Switch?
The pros and cons of Vista
Hardware, processor and memory requirements of Windows Vista are greater than ever. However, Microsoft has said it will help your company:
- find and use information
- enable a mobile workforce
- improve IT security and compliance, and
- optimize the desktop infrastructure.
Consider these key factors
Before your business implements Windows Vista, we recommend you consider these key factors:
- Age of your workstation hardware
- Application compatibility
- Need for Vista features
Contact All Covered for IT services or strategies
All Covered can help your small to medium-sized business evaluate the pros and cons of upgrading. If you need IT services or strategies, we can help. Contact us or learn more about Windows Vista:
Windows Vista Overview
The Windows Vista product lineup consists of six versions, two for businesses, three for consumers, and one for emerging markets: Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows Vista Starter.
Windows Vista: Designed for Businesses of All Sizes
Business customers can choose from two versions that are designed to meet their needs, based on the size and scale of their organizations:
Windows Vista Business |
Windows Vista Enterprise |
Windows Vista Business is the operating system designed for organizations of all sizes. For small to medium-sized businesses, Windows Vista Business will help keep PCs running smoothly and more securely so they are less reliant on dedicated IT support. For larger organizations, Windows Vista Business will provide dramatic new infrastructure improvements that will enable IT staff to spend less time focused on day-to-day maintenance of PCs and more time on adding strategic value to the organization. These are some of the specific features of Windows Vista Business: A new user interface, named Windows Aero™, is designed to deliver the most productive, highest-performing desktop experience possible. Windows Aero will provide a professional-looking, transparent glass design, with subtle effects such as dynamic reflections and smooth animations, along with Windows Flip and Flip 3D desktop navigation features. In addition to these navigation improvements, Windows Vista Business makes it easier than ever to manage huge volumes of business documents. By integrating search throughout the operating system and providing new ways to organize files, Windows Vista Business helps business users quickly find exactly what they are looking for. |
To better address the needs of large global organizations and those with highly complex IT infrastructures, Windows Vista Enterprise is designed to significantly lower IT costs and risk. In addition to all the features available in Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise is designed to provide higher levels of data protection using hardware-based encryption technology. It also includes tools to improve application compatibility and will enable organizations to standardize on a single worldwide deployment image with the inclusion of all Windows user-interface languages. Windows Vista Enterprise is available only to customers who have PCs covered by Microsoft Software Assurance or a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. These are some of the specific Windows Vista Enterprise features: Windows BitLocker™ Drive Encryption helps prevent sensitive data and intellectual property from falling into the wrong hands if a computer is lost or stolen. Virtual PC Express is one of several built-in tools that improve application compatibility with previous versions of Microsoft operating systems. Virtual PC Express enables a legacy application to run unchanged on a legacy Windows operating system in a virtual environment on top of Windows Vista Enterprise. Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications enables users to run UNIX applications unchanged on a Windows Vista Enterprise-based PC. The new user interface Windows Aero is also available in this edition of Windows Vista. |
Home editions of Windows Vista
Consumers can choose from three versions for the home PC user:
- Windows Vista Ultimate
- Windows Vista Home Premium
- Windows Vista Home Basic
Windows Vista Ultimate is the edition of Windows Vista that has it all. It brings together all the entertainment features, mobility features and business-oriented features available in Windows Vista. If your small to medium-sized business chooses to buy a Home edition instead of Business, choose Ultimate, which includes:
- The new user interface Windows Aero
- Search is integrated throughout the operating system, helping manage large collections of documents, pictures, movies, videos and music
- Windows Media Center
- Windows Tablet PC technology
- Integrated DVD burning and authoring
All new versions are available for either 32-bit or 64-bit systems, depending on the needs of the customer. Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate and Business will be available as a full-packaged product at retail and on new PCs. Windows Vista Enterprise will be offered only to business customers participating in Microsoft’s Software Assurance program.
What will your business PCs need to run Vista?
A new PC that carries the Windows Vista Capable PC logo can run Windows Vista. All editions of Windows Vista will deliver core experiences such as innovations in organizing and finding information, security, and reliability. All Windows Vista Capable PCs will run these core experiences at a minimum. Some features available in the premium editions of Windows Vista—like the new Windows Aero user experience—may require advanced or additional hardware.
A Windows Vista Capable PC includes at least:
- A modern processor (at least 800MHz)
- 512 MB of system memory
- A graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable
Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs
To get an even better Windows Vista experience, including the Windows Aero user experience, ask for a Windows Vista Capable PC that is designated Premium Ready, or choose a PC that meets or exceeds the Premium Ready requirements described below. Features available in specific premium editions of Windows Vista, such as the ability to watch and record live TV, may require additional hardware.
A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at least:
- 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- 1 GB of system memory
- Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum), Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel
- 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space
- DVD-ROM Drive3
- Audio output capability
- Internet access capability
Need some advice?
All Covered can help your business evaluate the pros and cons of upgrading. If you need an IT strategic plan or IT services, we can help. Contact us or learn more about All Covered Care, our comprehensive approach:
