Readers react to suggestions on what needs to improve in Apple's tablet for enterprise use:
Really? These guys are complaining about all the downfalls of using these things in a corporate environment? They are consumer play toys. What do they expect? They were never meant for corporate environments. They were meant for Dick & Jane to play movies on and surf the Web.
-Anonymous
SAP uses iPhones and iPads in the enterprise, and offers customers mobile applications. Afaria centrally manages the devices and advertises enterprise apps to the device. It's self-service, but for the most part our people manage just fine. I spend a ton more time supporting Windows than supporting the iPad or iPhone.
-Deb
I agree that much needs to be done to further secure and 'corporatize' iOS devices. However, some folks are not aware of the solutions already offered by Apple, that at least partly, begin to corporatize their devices. Take a gander at Apple's enterprise page, which describes how enterprises can utilize their Configuration Utility to publish enterprise Apps OTA, punch VPN settings and certs, and otherwise manage mobile devices. Yes, Apple has much to do, but my point is that it is aware and working towards a more enterprise-ready approach.
-Reed
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Posted by Doug Barney on 01/09/2012 at 1:19 PM0 comments
Redmond columnist Don Jones has been spending some time with Windows 8, and the technically astute scribe believes you just won't want to try it -- you'll be excited to migrate.
Don has four key reasons Win 8 will jump off the shelves: First, it is an easy upgrade, as Jones expects broad compatibility with Win 7. Second, Win 8 is relatively lean and mean. In fact it "will use just over half of the RAM Win7 uses to start up, which is a fundamental performance gain. That means users will be able to use more of their computers' memory for their applications," Don argues.
For IT, rebuilding problematic machines is way easier that it is today thanks to what Microsoft calls "reset and refresh."
Maybe, more important of all, many of us are bored with our machines and with the economy such a bummer a "shiny, new OS" may be just what the doctor ordered.
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/09/2012 at 1:19 PM2 comments
I spent literally months trying to understand Microsoft's Software Assurance (SA), and even though I wrote two major features, I feel I never gained total command. That's because Microsoft doesn't want you to understand its licensing. Confusion gives Microsoft sales an advantage.
A Forbes columnist is on the SA trail, provocatively asking if SA is actually extortion. Why is it extortion? Because to get Microsoft's higher-end security and virt products, you pretty much have to buy SA, which is nearly a third the cost of your original software license -- every year!
In my analysis I found SA customers get deeper volume discounts and access to a bunch of perks. If your software gets upgraded in a timely manner (free upgrades come with a SA license but the product has to ship before the contract terms expire) and you truly exploit all the bennies, SA is cost effective. If not, it ain't.
If you want to read what I wrote, here they are: "SA Exposed," "7 Steps to a Better Bargain."
What is your honest take on Software Assurance? Come clean at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/09/2012 at 1:19 PM1 comments
Windows Server 2008 has an option called Server Core, which is nothing more than a version of the software with the GIU cut out.
Don Jones, a seasoned Redmond columnist, loves Server Core. And so does Microsoft. It is going to convince as many customers as possible to go with the Core with Windows Server 8.
Jones, who does a lot of teaching, recently worked with a university that made a massive move to Server Core. It achieved the results Jones has been promoting for as long as I can remember (now that I'm older I estimate that's about two years).
First, they are using fewer resources. When running dedicated servers, the GUI overhead isn't such a big deal. But this school is virtualized, so slimming down the software really counts.
And smaller means faster -- the school's experience is evidence of this.
There is one more advantage: Because things are command- and script-driven, the IT had to polish these skills, making them, well, more skilled.
Do you pine for the old command days of MS-DOS and NetWare? Or have all these menus and dialog boxes made you happily spoiled? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/06/2012 at 1:19 PM3 comments
One reader shares why he is not looking forward to the next Microsoft OS:
We would be excited by Windows 8 if Microsoft would do us the favor of detecting if the computer is a tablet or not before forcing us into the Metro interface. The underlying features of Windows 8 would be a real boon to us. However, the Metro interface we have seen in the Developer Preview is so awful it would almost certainly be a deal killer for us despite our having a campus licensing agreement that provides the latest version of Windows whenever it is released.
I cannot see our students, let alone the faculty, willing to try to stumble through the new interface. When we installed Office 2010 onto Window 8 the Metro Start menu became so cluttered with helper applications as tiles that it was utterly unusable. The situation reminds me of early Windows 95 users I once saw who had installed entire applications directly to their Desktop rather than Program Files.
Brass tacks: Windows 8's Metro interface feels like a giant leap backwards for desktop and laptop computers. With no Taskbar visible and applications filling the entire screen it is difficult to multitask at all. Just try and close the Remote Desktop Connection. It fills the screen and has to clear option to close it. Worse yet, applications appear to close while continuing to run. At least Apple has the decency to give some visual feedback when closing an application actually just minimizes it. Windows 8's interface is like a melding of the worst part of DOS and Windows 3.1 -- which may be just what a person needs when their input method of choice is as precise as their fingers. But, in reality, it is horrible for productivity in a more traditional environment. So far, Windows 8 strikes me as the biggest misstep Microsoft has made since Bob.
-Mark
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Posted on 01/06/2012 at 1:19 PM6 comments
Redmond writer Derek Schauland, an IT pro for a decade and a half, happens to like the Mac. He just doesn't like the software library (or lack thereof).
There are five Windows programs that Derek is dying to either see ported to the Mac or have their Mac versions made right.
First up is OneNote, a cool tool I admit I haven't much used. I keep my notes in the docs I'm working on or in separate Word docs. The really important stuff? That goes on a piece of paper!
Schauland admits that Word for Mac has a notebook feature, but it is bare-bones compared to the organization that comes with OneNote.
Derek also wants to see SharePoint Workspace 2010, formerly Groove, on an Apple PC. I haven't heard much about this product since Microsoft bought Groove nearly seven years ago. In all those ensuing years Microsoft has pushed the core SharePoint tool as its collaboration centerpiece. But the new Groove is good for storing and sharing files much like Dropbox. And for that a port is desired.
What else made the list?
Microsoft's Remote Desktop client, which runs on the Mac but is less stable Foster Brooks.
Outlook is also available for the Mac but looks and acts more like the Entourage client it replaces, Derek argues.
Finally, Schauland wants to see Zune software on the Mac, both to support his Zune hardware and to interact with Windows Phone 7 devices, which are the new homes for the Zune app.
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/06/2012 at 1:19 PM2 comments
Do you miss the old days, the days where you went to work at 9, took an hour at lunch and then headed home to the fam at 5?
With computers, some of us go to work at 9, take an hour at lunch, and then head home to do more work at 5. Travel, telecommuting, and working nights and weekends at home also lays a new burden on IT. You all have to securely give all these stiffs secure access to corporate computers (and by safe I mean safe for the corporation). Access must be secure with no data leakage and corporate machines must be protected from personal PC-borne viruses.
Virtualization and remote control take care of all of this. The PC is simply displaying (and not really running) corporate apps.
Microsoft has a few other methods. If you use Windows Server 2008, Network Access Protection (NASP) will make sure remote machines comply with your organization's security policies, virus definitions are up to date and protections such as firewalls are in place.
Windows 8 will go a step further. Here you can install the OS on a USB drive, which remote machines can boot off of. This way the OS can be configured securely and the remote session can proceed safely.
I have two questions: How has your work week changed with home computers, smart phones, laptops, netbook and tablets? And how does your company deal with remote access? Answers and explanations welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/06/2012 at 1:19 PM0 comments
Readers share their thoughts on Silverlight's role in a Windows 8 future:
It is too bad you are not more of code monkey as you might appreciate the power that Silverlight brings to the table. Yeah, there is much to do about HTML 5/JavaScript and it is an evolving solution that might be where Silverlight is in a few years (if it does not splinter into Google/Microsoft versions).
Silverlight lets a developer work in object orientated languages like C# where we leverage the power of real classes, interfaces and dependency injection. Thus we can build robust Web-based apps that are almost as responsive as desktop apps. Now, one can do this is JavaScript (and I have), but it takes so much more time and code. The more code, the more support issues. Silverlight SVG is step beyond HTML 5 as transformation matrixes (rotation, translation...), and can be apply on a object basis (where in HTML
5 they are a property of the canvas).
Of course Silverlight is XAML-based and so is one of the programming models for Windows 8 metro. I am currently porting a Windows 7 Phone Silverlight app to Windows 8 as a pure Silverlight app. Much of the XAML moves to the new platform without change.
Because of this, I believe we should be discussing XAML solutions vs. HTML 5. I see a need for Silverlight to build robust business apps like in the medical industry. And, if properly designed, they can run in Windows 8 Metro. However, I must add that the Metro design is not good for developing apps like this and the Silverlight UX will need to be 'watered down' so the business app is better off in the old windows Desktop mode. I must say that I do not see the need to write desktop apps in this day and age.
The other issue is Silverlight vs. WPF. And here I really believe that WPF will gradually fade away, especially now that SL use XNA for its 3D graphics.
The JavaScript option for Metro is interesting as I guess Microsoft is trying to bring in the legions of script developers. But make no mistake: the JavaScript they write is Metro-specific. To make the code portable to a browser will take some great architecture.
-Anonymous
'One important thing to understand is Silverlight has a purposely limited role. For instance, while you can build Win 8 Desktop apps, it is useless for Metro.'
Not entirely accurate. I would say that Silverlight is simply one host for XAML applications, particularly pre-Windows 8. With Windows 8's Metro interface, your Silverlight apps (with relatively few changes) become native XAML Metro applications. Your 'Silverlight' applications continue to live on, now as native Metro applications, and will continue to live in the Silverlight host (at least through 2021) for non-Metro environments. That's a pretty optimistic picture if you ask me.
-Ken
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/04/2012 at 1:19 PM1 comments
The Apple iPad has been on the market for little less than two years, but in that time the tablet device has sparked a wildfire for demand -- one Microsoft and Google are trying to play catch up to.
Redmond readers are evensinging the praises of the iPad, not only as a consumer device, but the role it can play in the enterprise. And readers really seem to like it.
But the Apple device is far from perfect. Reader Rynbrandt shares what he believes is the biggest issue with the tablet:
Screen resolution could be an issue with some applications, and device security and wireless connectivity could also be issues.
Roel Schreibers. E. Alcock, IT manager for the Robert Boissoneault Oncology Institute, lists some of the IT concerns with the iPad :
The iPad is, business-wise, the ultimate thin client with only one downside: there's no central control possibility for administrators to deploy apps toward he corporate iPads. Securing the iPad is in the hands of the end user.
Ipads are deceptively complex and they aren't immune to problems. Without buying expensive third-party tools, there's no way to centrally manage iPads to do 'simple' chores like distributing credentials such as certificates, wireless LAN parametersand VPN settings.
There's no way to maintain OS consistency or application consistency, as even third-party tools can't perform OS or application upgrades or prevent overzealous users from performing updates themselves.
The result could be end-user problems that will keep IT working overtime:
Users may require emergency support from IT when they update their apps and find the app has changed so much it will no longer connect to resources, and the user has no clue why.
We've had our fair share of OS or application glitches that require us to restore the iPad to factory settings and restore or reinstall all of the user's apps. Such glitches include failed app installations or upgrades, apps that cease to function correctly and WiFi glitches. I would hazard a guess that an iPad probably takes as much maintenance or more than a PC or laptop. This is simply because there are mature products and processes, many of which can be automated, for managing PCs and laptops, whereas there's not really such a thing for the iPad.
Alcock is also not a fan of iPad security:
iPads have huge security problems that people seem to be glossing over. Apple has yet to get full-device encryption working well enough that it can't be simply bypassed. It has a built-in keystroke logger and takes screenshots of what you have open when you push the home button. According to an Apple rep I spoke to, neither of these can be disabled if you happen to work in a high-security environment. The keyboard cache can be manually purged, however. Combine those three things, and you have a pretty scary recipe that could cause your corporate security or compliance team some sleepless nights.
Reader Marsorry Ickue also has a range of concerns, starting with a relatively small amount of local storage, between 16GB and 64GB. And while some see the closed nature of the iPad as increasing security and stability, Ickue has the opposite view:
The closed-off Apple approach is a bit of a hindrance that forces my users to make more use of cloud services for information portability or VPN. Apple could definitely create a section that allows for at least a small portion of the device where users can store this type of data that doesn't interfere with their otherwise secure environment.
One advantage PCs and laptops have for day-to-day use is a full-size keyboard. Kay G. Hopwood, IT director for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau just can't get used to iPad input:
I've been unsuccessful at writing on the screen -- and I mean using a stylus, not a finger. I'm too old for finger painting. I need to write notes and service orders by hand on the device. I'd like to see some improvement in that area.
iPad fan Dimitri Mundarain, group manager for datacenter operations at Citrix Systems Inc., has just one beef:
Apple had done great work on the iPad 2 with the new processor and the 3G option, but IT folks could certainly benefit from a better pointing device with more precision and a less clumsy cut-and-paste functionality.
Gripes Lead To Suggestions
The best companies listen to customers, and Redmondreaders are giving Apple an earful on what should be added or changed in future models.
Rob Blankers, a network engineer for Lockton Affinity, has a laundry list of suggestions:
I'd implement some type of a native 'virtual mouse,' complete with a right-click button. I'd also like to see tabbed browsing rather than opening a new window in Safari. I'd make iPads easily capable of becoming managed computer objects in an Active Directory, and provide a Microsoft Management Console snap-in to centrally manage them. Last, I want a USB port that doesn't require a proprietary cable, a full-size and fully functional SD card slot and a built-in file browser like Windows Explorer.
The iPad is clearly not a Microsoft product, and it doesn't appear that Microsoft even likes to acknowledge the thing. But Microsoft customers do, and there are a few things Redmond readers hope Microsoft will do to support the iPad in the enterprise.
The No. 1 request by reader Ickue? A native iPad version of Microsoft Office:
Microsoft should create an Office version for the app store. It will be a No. 1 seller and maintain the company's dominance in the productivity suite arena while also maintaining true to its core business.
Reader Ron Rynbrandt wants even more application support:
Microsoft needs to fully embrace the platform and provide more tools -- and applications like Office -- with cloud connectivity. A quick search reveals that one of the world's largest software companies has only five applications available for download in the Apple app store –five!
However, supporting the iPad may be easier said than done, according to reader Blankers:
To fully support applications running on the iPad, Microsoft would need to completely change the Windows interface, or make a simple way to interact with existing systems in tablet mode. Although I don't expect it, I'd rather see Apple do some things to support the Windows interface on an iPad.
Got any more gripes and suggestions for the iPad? Let us know in the comments below.
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/04/2012 at 1:19 PM6 comments
I judge the hotness of a topic by how much mail I get on it. Based on this criterion Win 8 is hotter than a Texas Porta-Potty. Let me take that back -- Win 8, to me, looks much more inviting. Win 8 is hotter than a Man vs. Food chili challenge.
You've had a lot to say about Win 8. A vocal group found one of my items far too negative. In fact, my item was quoting a reader who struggled with the Metro interface and had even more issues with the Desktop interface. This is weird because Metro is brand new and Desktop is essentially an update to Win 7 (which works just fine).
Some readers thought I was unfair to the far from finished product, while others shared the original reader's concerns.
Another item got more response than a Bruce Springsteen encore. In the comments section one poster foresees Win 8 tablets knocking netbooks out of the box. Other letters shared positive thoughts about the preview of Windows 8 and tangible excitement about Metro.
Where do you fall, and am I too hard or too soft on Microsoft? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 01/04/2012 at 1:19 PM4 comments
Microsoft clearly beat Apple to market with cloud services like Windows Live and SkyDrive. That didn't stop Apple fan boys (and girls) from gushing all over iCloud.
Microsoft is answering Apple, and raising the stakes with SkyDrive for Windows Phone 1.0.
While the name says Windows, it will also store data for Apple machines such as iPod Touch (which connects via WiFi), iPad and the iPhone.
Most iPhones, iPads and iPods have modest storage. With 25 GB free, Microsoft is giving away more than Apple usually makes users pay for -- at least when it comes to local storage.
I use Dropbox. What do you use for free cloud storage? Tell us what and why at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/16/2011 at 1:18 PM2 comments
To the average person, Mark Russinovich is as obscure as the fourth Osmond brother. But to IT folks, Mark is every bit a hero as Wozniak, Gates or Ken Olsen.
Mark is also an example of Microsoft's thick skin. Where some take criticism personally, I've found Microsoft to be eminently even-handed. Heck, the company still talks to me!
Russinovich was a thorn in Microsoft's side for years. A security guru, Mark publicized Microsoft security flaws. And in the early days of Windows NT, he proved that NT Workstation and NT Server were essentially the same -- something Microsoft denied at the time but later came to embrace and even brag about.
But Mark's company Winternals was so good, and the Russinovich mind so compelling, that Microsoft bought both. Now Mark is a Microsoft fellow and a newly published novelist with his "Zero Day."
The book is a novel but contains security advice every IT pro should take to heart.
Here are a few lessons gleaned: Wonder why systems are compromised? Sure, software ain't perfect, but most breaches are due to IT neglect, easily cracked passwords, poor configuration and unpatched holes.
While IT neglect is a dangerous thing, in the future IT will have less of a role in security as automation largely takes over. The point is that systems are increasingly complex and human intervention can do more harm than good. This is especially true of the cloud.
Lastly, the former exposer of security flaws believes there is a responsible way to disclose this kind of information. Mark believes that those who find flaws should notify the vendor, wait a "reasonable" bit of time, and, if not fixed, then let the world know if they so desire. Even then, we should understand that there consequences -- hackers will exploit this now known but unplugged hole.
What is your take on all this? Write me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/16/2011 at 1:18 PM3 comments