How Windows 8 Can Touch Your Business

New operating system will run tens of thousands of Microsoft apps.
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Reviewers and consumers have rapidly recognized the impact that the new Windows 8 operating system will have on our lives at home and on the road, but its biggest impact is likely to be experienced in the way we operate our businesses. Windows 8 Pro, in fact, is designed specifically for small and midsized businesses (SMBs), furnishing new levels of productivity, security, and mobility that will help companies work smarter, faster, and more successfully.

Of course, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of interest in the touchscreen capabilities of Windows 8, making it ideal for tablets that can extend the corporate IT network to handheld transactions. It effectively provides research and collaboration with customers right on the sales floor or in the field. The same touchscreen ease is available on the latest Ultrabook laptops, as well. But Windows 8 also offers the option of using a mouse and keyboard at any time. So we can choose the way we prefer to interact with each application on our Windows 8 devices.

Additionally, Windows 8 helps SMBs with remote employees by keeping everyone connected and productive in a secure way. Windows To Go technology provides users with a full corporate copy of Windows 8, plus all their business apps, data, and settings on a USB storage device. Wherever they go, they can simply plug in the device and have all their business resources at their fingertips. Windows 8 also offers an improved version of DirectAccess, which delivers seamless access to the SMB’s corporate network without using use a virtual private network.

The new tablets from Microsoft that operate on Windows 8 will run tens of thousands of Microsoft apps as well as a SMB’s specialized line-of-business apps. And each of those apps fills the screen for a fully immersive experience.

All of these business activities, whether on laptop or tablet, are carried out with end-to-end security, with features like Secure Boot, which helps protect against malware during the boot-up phase, and improved BitLocker drive encryption.

Windows 8 boots much more quickly, offers a longer battery life, provides better security ,and incorporates improved task manager and file explorer functions. You can find out a lot more about all the ways Windows 8 will touch your small or midsized business at www.microsoft.com/workstyle. Discover the difference that Windows 8 can make in your company’s success.

Liz Siver is general manager of Microsoft Corp.’s central region and a SMS&P Managed Partner.