One of the first things users are likely to notice about Microsoft’s latest client operating system, Windows 7, is that finally it is possible to have several application windows open side by side and even resize them or make them transparent. Users can therefore easily refer to one window while working on another ­ without having to work from memory or click between them to compare, as in previous OSes.

This feature — dubbed Snap and offering functionality that rival Apple has had in its OSes for more than a decade — might seem a little thing but, according to Richard Gibbons, software manager at VAR Bechtle, it is the little things that count when it comes to user productivity.

“With Windows 7, we are finding that from a user perspective it is the small things that are making the biggest difference. And that Snap feature, comparing two windows together and where you can move one to the left and one to the right, people love that,” he says.

Bechtle is ­ a Gold Microsoft partner and German VAR with offices around Europe, including the UK, ­ has completed one of the first reseller deployments of Windows 7, at Dean Close School in Cheltenham. The rollout began in July, with just 20 machines, as primarily an upgrade from XP ­ although the school did have a few machines on Vista ­ and is continuing in stages.

“When that had bedded in a couple of weeks later, it went up to 71 machines, and a little while after that, to 100 machines. We are expecting it to be pretty much on all machines that the school uses by Christmas,” says Gibbons.

“It is hard to put an exact figure on the final number, but it will be about 500 school PCs and then however many student-owned laptops.”

‘Much better than Vista’
Dean Close, a private day and boarding school with a reputation for technological innovation, has about 1,000 pupils aged from three to 18.

Gibbons says Bechtle engineers have been working with Windows 7 since February, assessing its benefits on various machines, and Dean Close’s IT staff have also been familiarising themselves with the OS on their own computers at home.

“Compared with Vista when it was initially released, this was much better. The worries about drivers and application compatibility that Vista gave us are completely gone in Windows 7,” he says.
“We knew it was basically all going to work. And the upgrade process was much quicker.”

The reseller has deployed Windows 7 in conjunction with Windows Server
2008 R2, which it sees as critical to reaping the benefits. Key for the school was enhanced access and security features, increased productivity and a more intuitive interface.

Productivity, access and security, especially around remote and home computer use by students and staff, have become larger challenges. The school also expects cost savings.

Nyall Monkton, IT manager at Dean Close School, says: “Microsoft licensing for education, the Schools Agreement, made it possible for us to afford Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, but that is not the only saving we will see.”

Windows 7 includes a feature called DirectAccess that means the school will rely less on the Citrix servers it currently uses to manage its information. “In the future, we will not need to maintain Citrix, potentially saving £15,000 to £25,000 [per annum],” says Monkton.

Gibbons says DirectAccess means users no longer need struggle with Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) when accessing the school network remotely. Wireless working should also be much easier, with all mobile computing done in one spot.

The taskbar has been revamped to reduce desktop clutter and make it easier to launch programs and switch windows.

Gibbons says the roll-out had been smooth so far, except for on a few laptops. Windows 7 is expected to get a huge groundswell of support, boosting opportunities for resellers in the wake of Vista’s disappointments.

“Features such as BitLocker and DirectAccess and the services around them will make for a big opportunity, such as the installs of Server 2008 R2 and configuring DirectAccess,” says Gibbons.

“Customers will prefer to have an experienced services partner to do it for them. And we are expecting to see increased use of Hyper-V as well.”

Software Assurance partners can also offer Microsoft’s desktop optimisation package, opening up opportunities in desktop virtualisation and similar. It was also much less resource-hungry than Vista, meaning customers would not baulk at a purchase that entailed a hardware upgrade as well.

“You can sell more licences or enjoy the services element,” says Gibbons.

Jens Butler, principal analyst at Ovum, says getting in at the start was a good tactic with Windows 7.

“According to the 22 October launch marketing blitz, there has never been a better time to be a PC,” he says.

“It may also never be a better time to be a systems integrator, given that this launch fits into the timing of PC upgrade cycles, and the ageing and retirement of Windows XP with the ending of official Microsoft support in April.”

He says that Ovum expects Windows 7 to attract “significant” interest from customers in 2010, which will have kickbacks for channel companies generally, as well as hardware and software vendors.

Organisations that have stuck with XP until now may take advantage of the opportunity to do some serious housekeeping around their IT systems, including a Windows 7 upgrade.

“One has to give Microsoft credit,” says Butler. “This version of the Windows platform has had far more engagement with stakeholders than previous versions, with users — consumer and enterprise — and partners having substantial input, with specific demands for security, reliability and speed being the development cornerstones.

“Microsoft has also driven through its shortest beta testing cycle ever. Being cynical, one might say it needed to be.”

The vendor was promoting the new OS with messaging about simplicity, choice and value. That might well resonate with the market and give Redmond a chance to rebuild some of the trust customers lost in its products as a result of Vista.

Green shoots of recovery
However, despite Vista, enterprise uptake and migration programmes around Windows 7 should start to appear in the first half of 2010 and accelerate as the green shoots of economic recovery take deeper root ­ especially when XP support is phased out by resellers, adds Butler.

Simon Aldous, SMB and distribution director at Microsoft, says he expects a lot of interest in Windows 7 from the VAR community.

“There are three strong areas that we are pushing that are resonating with resellers: productivity; security; and control,” says Aldous. “[That is alongside] streamlining
of cost and pretty much any customer entity has interests, challenges or opportunities that are aligned there.”

According to Microsoft, partners had a closer role in developing Windows 7, resulting in improved PC performance and compatibility with software and hardware across the Windows ecosystem.

About 50,000 developers have enrolled in the Windows Ecosystem Readiness Program to build product around Windows 7.

Bechtle employs 4,400 people and has about 56,000 customers across the public and private sectors. It offers various IT infrastructure solutions and products, as well having more than 50 in-house locations at German, Austrian and Swiss customer sites.

It also has 13 competence centres for security, storage, CAD, and enterprise computing, offering tailored solutions and managed services.

Bechtle orders up OrderWork
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