Finally! Welcome Windows 8.1!
Good Monday, dear colleagues and friends!
Last week, on Friday, October 18, a long-awaited event took place - Windows 8.1 RTM was officially introduced (and Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2 were combined with it - you can download everything, you need to click on the product of interest).
And this means that the upgrade time is not far off - but before we take such a serious step, let's see - is it worth the trouble, what's new in 8.1 compared to 8.0, so to speak - from the perspective of an impartial IT Pro.
')
The changes that have affected Windows 8.1 mainly concern four main areas, so let's say: BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) , improvements in security, improvements in mobility, and interface. Let's take a closer look at exactly which innovations in the context of the topics identified appeared in Windows 8.1.
As for the interface, there are quite a few changes. The first thing to note is the return of the Start button. It is not necessary, however, to assume that the return of the button is equivalent to the return of the ideology itself and the old-familiar menus - this did not happen. The "Start" button duplicates the Windows button on the keyboard - that is, it calls up the start screen. For those to whom he did not like it, and there is a desire to speed up the work a bit - then for such users we have the opportunity to directly download to the desktop, bypassing the start screen.
What personally upset me was at 8, but not 8.1 — so that the new Windows 8 applications could only be run on the 1st monitor, that is, it was not possible to run several Windows 8 applications on different monitors. Now we are deprived of this drawback, and we can run applications on multiple displays. What else is important is that if earlier on the 1st monitor it was possible to run up to 2 Windows 8 applications, and the aspect ratio of the running applications, the windows themselves was fixed, not flexible. Now we can run up to 4 applications on one screen, the amount depends on the resolution of the latter.
A lot of applications on the 1st screen, and there can be several screens - and all touch!
As for mobility, there are also improvements here. The first thing to note is the expansion of the list of supported protocols for VPN access, for both Windows 8.1 RT and Windows 8.1 Pro / Ent. Also now we can automatically launch and establish a VPN connection when launching the application of interest to us.
Another interesting point is the possibility of providing general access to the 3G channel, if there is one on the 8.1-device - now we can distribute the Internet to our friends and colleagues, if necessary.
We also added support for embedded radio components at the OS level - which means that now we can turn off unnecessary devices temporarily — and thus save the battery power of our device — on the other hand, we have the opportunity to count on the appearance of even thinner, lighter ones and standalone devices.
Very interesting innovations have appeared in the field of wireless, but a little different: now we can directly, without installing drivers and applications, connect to Wi-Fi printers and print the documents we need - everything is very simple and convenient - neither by wire nor drivers - in short, a fairy tale!
Also in the appendix to Wi-Fi - appeared support for the Miracast standard. But this is already very cool, although everything is not so simple. Miracast - to be brief - the standard for direct image transfer to an external monitor or projector via Wi-Fi - the main thing is that the target device also supports Miracast. I personally have not yet met such devices - this is from my personal point of view the biggest problem - but it is a matter of time, the devices will appear - all the more so, the idea is obviously very successful, especially in the light of the trend of getting rid of wires - that is all.
Well, for a snack to cable-free gadgets - it is now possible to label NFC network printers with tags - and include information on printer settings in the tags themselves. As a result, in order to connect to the desired printer, it is enough to hold the NFC device 8.1 and the settings will be immediately applied to your device — forward and with the song (with printing, in the sense!).
Now let's talk a little about the features in the area of security that we have.
The first thing worth noting in the area of security is the possibility of pervasive, automatic device encryption. If earlier it was possible only for Windows 8.1 RT and Windows Phone 8, now it has become possible for all versions of Windows. In the case of Windows 8.1 Pro / Enterprise, you can activate BitLocker encryption in the appendage. In the usual case, you will need a Microsoft Account (Live ID) - it is with this account information that the background automatic encryption will occur.
It is also worth paying attention to improvements in the field of interaction with fingerprint devices - or fingerprint scanners.
Now we have the opportunity to use this authentication mechanism in Windows anywhere. Also, the driver model has become more unified and supports both scanners with piezoelectric contact and sensor sensors - the first ones require finger wiring to the sensor, and the second ones work on the camera principle, and most modern sensors (not embedded in laptops, however) are optical, they also allow you to control the "wildlife" of the print whether it belongs to a living person, and is it not a silicone dummy. Now he can work with all this miracle of IT paranoia on embedded beginnings.
Use a fingerprint scanner to access your VPN network.
For narrow applications, another interesting feature has appeared - Device Lockdown. It allows you to start the device with just one application from the Windows Store running on the device. This may be necessary for the implementation of various kiosks, devices for receiving money and paying for services - and other applications of a similar nature.
The built-in Windows Defender tool, which is designed to fight against filthy viruses, now also has acquired network monitoring functionality, or rather network monitoring, so that it can determine the uncharacteristic behavior of the application. IE will launch a binary scanner using ActiveX mechanisms and analyze the contents of the file before it is executed. And it is really convenient!
And the most delicious thing in the field of security is the ability to remotely control data on user devices. In view of the fact that employees of many companies work with personal data, secret data - with various classes of information as a whole - then it will not be superfluous to have remote control over information and device. The device can be remotely encrypted, as well as cleared using the mechanisms of EAS or a combination of EAS + OMA-DM. This mechanism requires a special infrastructure - the server and the application, in particular the Exchange Server, in combination with the Mail client, implements this mechanics. The application checks the data for legitimacy - if necessary - deletes the data.
As for one of the trends and elements of Microsoft's strategy - Cloud OS, BYOD - there are indeed many innovations that cannot be ignored.
The most remarkable thing for me, as for the person who turned out to be at the disposal of Surface RT - is the ability to enter the device into the corporate network, apply the settings and policies of the domain - and access the data! And all this - without joining the domain. The most ambush in 8.0 was precisely the fact that the devices were given to us - but to sense from them as from a horned male - milk. Now, thanks to the Workplace Join mechanism, I can access the corporate network and data without joining the domain, while the IT department is very clearly and clearly able to control my actions and capabilities on this device.
Another interesting feature is Work Folders - a tool that allows you to work with documents from anywhere and synchronize changes with a special folder (working) on the server in your data center - in other words, it is possible to get centralized access to the most current versions of documents from various authorized for the user of mobile devices. All changes are automatically synchronized with the folder on the server in the data center - and this is convenient. We can say that this is SkyDrive, onlycarp building scale - if you resort to analogy. (Thanks to attentive readers and sense of humor - author's note)
Setting up a work folder (Work Folder) to synchronize working documents between devices.
Support for MDM standards, mobile device management, and in particular also the OMA-DM API, allows not only to talk about mobile device support on various platforms for use in BYOD scenarios, but also about integration with third-party solutions in this area (for example, Mobile Iron or Air Watch).
And finally, let's touch on the VDI theme, here we have RDP optimization (once again) - now it compresses the transmitted data more efficiently, supports many working screens, and can also change their parameters and number on the fly, without interrupting the session.
We also returned the old cool feature - Session Shadowing - or the ability to connect the remote administrator to the current user session for support - this is really a very cool and convenient mechanism, I was very upset when it was drunk from Windows in a timely manner - but time put everything in its place - it is in place.
Well, dear colleagues, - this is a lot, but not a complete list of innovations in Windows 8.1.
I suggest not to postpone too much - and already begin to get acquainted with this wonderful product!
technet.microsoft.com/ru-ru/evalcenter/hh699156
I also give links to WS2012 R2 and SC2012 R2, respectively:
1) technet.microsoft.com/ru-ru/evalcenter/dn205286.aspx
2) technet.microsoft.com/ru-ru/evalcenter/dn205295.aspx
I have it all with you
Fireman,
George A. Gadzhiev.
PS> Do not be ill and dress warmer - I was overwhelmed by the autumn frost, which I don’t want!
Last week, on Friday, October 18, a long-awaited event took place - Windows 8.1 RTM was officially introduced (and Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2 were combined with it - you can download everything, you need to click on the product of interest).
And this means that the upgrade time is not far off - but before we take such a serious step, let's see - is it worth the trouble, what's new in 8.1 compared to 8.0, so to speak - from the perspective of an impartial IT Pro.
')
The changes that have affected Windows 8.1 mainly concern four main areas, so let's say: BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) , improvements in security, improvements in mobility, and interface. Let's take a closer look at exactly which innovations in the context of the topics identified appeared in Windows 8.1.
Interface
As for the interface, there are quite a few changes. The first thing to note is the return of the Start button. It is not necessary, however, to assume that the return of the button is equivalent to the return of the ideology itself and the old-familiar menus - this did not happen. The "Start" button duplicates the Windows button on the keyboard - that is, it calls up the start screen. For those to whom he did not like it, and there is a desire to speed up the work a bit - then for such users we have the opportunity to directly download to the desktop, bypassing the start screen.
What personally upset me was at 8, but not 8.1 — so that the new Windows 8 applications could only be run on the 1st monitor, that is, it was not possible to run several Windows 8 applications on different monitors. Now we are deprived of this drawback, and we can run applications on multiple displays. What else is important is that if earlier on the 1st monitor it was possible to run up to 2 Windows 8 applications, and the aspect ratio of the running applications, the windows themselves was fixed, not flexible. Now we can run up to 4 applications on one screen, the amount depends on the resolution of the latter.
A lot of applications on the 1st screen, and there can be several screens - and all touch!
Mobility
As for mobility, there are also improvements here. The first thing to note is the expansion of the list of supported protocols for VPN access, for both Windows 8.1 RT and Windows 8.1 Pro / Ent. Also now we can automatically launch and establish a VPN connection when launching the application of interest to us.
Another interesting point is the possibility of providing general access to the 3G channel, if there is one on the 8.1-device - now we can distribute the Internet to our friends and colleagues, if necessary.
We also added support for embedded radio components at the OS level - which means that now we can turn off unnecessary devices temporarily — and thus save the battery power of our device — on the other hand, we have the opportunity to count on the appearance of even thinner, lighter ones and standalone devices.
Very interesting innovations have appeared in the field of wireless, but a little different: now we can directly, without installing drivers and applications, connect to Wi-Fi printers and print the documents we need - everything is very simple and convenient - neither by wire nor drivers - in short, a fairy tale!
Also in the appendix to Wi-Fi - appeared support for the Miracast standard. But this is already very cool, although everything is not so simple. Miracast - to be brief - the standard for direct image transfer to an external monitor or projector via Wi-Fi - the main thing is that the target device also supports Miracast. I personally have not yet met such devices - this is from my personal point of view the biggest problem - but it is a matter of time, the devices will appear - all the more so, the idea is obviously very successful, especially in the light of the trend of getting rid of wires - that is all.
Well, for a snack to cable-free gadgets - it is now possible to label NFC network printers with tags - and include information on printer settings in the tags themselves. As a result, in order to connect to the desired printer, it is enough to hold the NFC device 8.1 and the settings will be immediately applied to your device — forward and with the song (with printing, in the sense!).
Security
Now let's talk a little about the features in the area of security that we have.
The first thing worth noting in the area of security is the possibility of pervasive, automatic device encryption. If earlier it was possible only for Windows 8.1 RT and Windows Phone 8, now it has become possible for all versions of Windows. In the case of Windows 8.1 Pro / Enterprise, you can activate BitLocker encryption in the appendage. In the usual case, you will need a Microsoft Account (Live ID) - it is with this account information that the background automatic encryption will occur.
It is also worth paying attention to improvements in the field of interaction with fingerprint devices - or fingerprint scanners.
Now we have the opportunity to use this authentication mechanism in Windows anywhere. Also, the driver model has become more unified and supports both scanners with piezoelectric contact and sensor sensors - the first ones require finger wiring to the sensor, and the second ones work on the camera principle, and most modern sensors (not embedded in laptops, however) are optical, they also allow you to control the "wildlife" of the print whether it belongs to a living person, and is it not a silicone dummy. Now he can work with all this miracle of IT paranoia on embedded beginnings.
Use a fingerprint scanner to access your VPN network.
For narrow applications, another interesting feature has appeared - Device Lockdown. It allows you to start the device with just one application from the Windows Store running on the device. This may be necessary for the implementation of various kiosks, devices for receiving money and paying for services - and other applications of a similar nature.
The built-in Windows Defender tool, which is designed to fight against filthy viruses, now also has acquired network monitoring functionality, or rather network monitoring, so that it can determine the uncharacteristic behavior of the application. IE will launch a binary scanner using ActiveX mechanisms and analyze the contents of the file before it is executed. And it is really convenient!
And the most delicious thing in the field of security is the ability to remotely control data on user devices. In view of the fact that employees of many companies work with personal data, secret data - with various classes of information as a whole - then it will not be superfluous to have remote control over information and device. The device can be remotely encrypted, as well as cleared using the mechanisms of EAS or a combination of EAS + OMA-DM. This mechanism requires a special infrastructure - the server and the application, in particular the Exchange Server, in combination with the Mail client, implements this mechanics. The application checks the data for legitimacy - if necessary - deletes the data.
BYOD - their devices sing romances
As for one of the trends and elements of Microsoft's strategy - Cloud OS, BYOD - there are indeed many innovations that cannot be ignored.
The most remarkable thing for me, as for the person who turned out to be at the disposal of Surface RT - is the ability to enter the device into the corporate network, apply the settings and policies of the domain - and access the data! And all this - without joining the domain. The most ambush in 8.0 was precisely the fact that the devices were given to us - but to sense from them as from a horned male - milk. Now, thanks to the Workplace Join mechanism, I can access the corporate network and data without joining the domain, while the IT department is very clearly and clearly able to control my actions and capabilities on this device.
Another interesting feature is Work Folders - a tool that allows you to work with documents from anywhere and synchronize changes with a special folder (working) on the server in your data center - in other words, it is possible to get centralized access to the most current versions of documents from various authorized for the user of mobile devices. All changes are automatically synchronized with the folder on the server in the data center - and this is convenient. We can say that this is SkyDrive, only
Setting up a work folder (Work Folder) to synchronize working documents between devices.
Support for MDM standards, mobile device management, and in particular also the OMA-DM API, allows not only to talk about mobile device support on various platforms for use in BYOD scenarios, but also about integration with third-party solutions in this area (for example, Mobile Iron or Air Watch).
And finally, let's touch on the VDI theme, here we have RDP optimization (once again) - now it compresses the transmitted data more efficiently, supports many working screens, and can also change their parameters and number on the fly, without interrupting the session.
We also returned the old cool feature - Session Shadowing - or the ability to connect the remote administrator to the current user session for support - this is really a very cool and convenient mechanism, I was very upset when it was drunk from Windows in a timely manner - but time put everything in its place - it is in place.
Well, dear colleagues, - this is a lot, but not a complete list of innovations in Windows 8.1.
I suggest not to postpone too much - and already begin to get acquainted with this wonderful product!
technet.microsoft.com/ru-ru/evalcenter/hh699156
I also give links to WS2012 R2 and SC2012 R2, respectively:
1) technet.microsoft.com/ru-ru/evalcenter/dn205286.aspx
2) technet.microsoft.com/ru-ru/evalcenter/dn205295.aspx
I have it all with you
Fireman,
George A. Gadzhiev.
PS> Do not be ill and dress warmer - I was overwhelmed by the autumn frost, which I don’t want!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/198360/
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