During the TechEd keynote this morning, my colleague
Iain McDonald, partner director of program management for Windows, talked
through what businesses can look forward to in Windows 8.1, and I want to take
a moment to highlight some of my favorite features that I believe will help you
be more mobile and secure – including the tools for businesses to enable Bring
Your Own Device (BYOD) scenarios.
Networking features optimized for mobile
productivity. Windows 8.1 improves mobile productivity for today’s workforce with new
networking capabilities that take advantage of NFC-tagged and Wi-Fi connected
devices, including:
- NFC tap-to-pair printing – Tap
your Windows 8.1 device against an enterprise NFC-enabled printer and you’re
all set to print. No more hunting on your network for the correct printer
and no need to buy a special printer; just attach a NFC tag to your
existing machines. And you don’t need to buy new printers to take
advantage of this; you can simply put an NFC tag on your existing printers
to enable this functionality.
- Wi-Fi Direct printing –
Connect to Wi-Fi Direct printers without adding additional drivers or
software on your Windows 8.1 device, forming a peer-to-peer network
between your device and the printer.
- Native Miracast wireless
display – Present your work wirelessly without any
dongles needed; simply project your content to a Miracast-enabled device
by pairing the device through Wi-Fi Direct using NFC. Miracast will then
use the available Wi-Fi connection to let you lean back and project
wire-free.
- Broadband tethering – Turn
your Windows 8.1 mobile broadband-enabled PC or tablet into a personal
Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing other devices to connect and access the internet.
Auto-triggered VPN – When you select an app or resource that needs
access through the inbox VPN – like a company’s intranet site – Windows 8.1
will automatically prompt you to sign in with one click. This feature will be
available with Microsoft and third-party inbox VPN clients.
Security enhancements for device proliferation and
mobility.Security continues to be a top priority for companies
across the world, so we’re making sure we continue to invest resources to help
you protect your corporate data, applications and devices:
- Modern Access Controls – Sign
in and authenticate devices with new support for fingerprint-based
biometrics. Multi-factor authentication using Virtual Smart Cards will
also be made even easier in Windows 8.1.
- Malware Resistance
–Windows Defender, Microsoft’s free antivirus solution in Windows 8, will
include network behavior monitoring to help detect and stop the execution
of known and unknown malware. Internet Explorer will scan binary
extensions (e.g. ActiveX) using the antimalware solution before
potentially harmful code is executed.
Improved management solutions to make BYOD a reality. As BYOD scenarios continue to grow in popularity among
businesses, Windows 8.1 will make managing mobile devices even easier for IT
Pros:
- Improved IT controls – IT
departments can now control the layout of the Start screen on
company-issued devices to ensure key apps are easily accessible. IT
departments can also prevent users from customizing their start screen to
ensure consistency across individual workgroups or the entire company.
- Remote business data removal –
Allows personal devices to connect to, access and store company content
that can be efficiently removed from the device by IT at a later date
while leaving the personal data intact.
- Open MDM – With
Windows 8.1, new Open Mobile Alliance Device Management (OMA-DM)
capabilities are built into the OS and enable mobile device management
using third-party MDM solutions, such as MobileIron or AirWatch, with no
additional agent required. Enhanced policies allow administrators to manage
more settings from both Windows Intune and the third-party MDM solutions
for both Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1.
- Workplace Join –
Further control access to company data by ensuring that only registered
and trusted devices are allowed to access secured enterprise data.
More control over business devices. Businesses can more effectively deliver an intended
experience to their end users – whether that be employees or customers.
- Assigned Access –
Enable a single Windows Store application experience on the device (e.g. a
learning application for a child, a customer service application at a
boutique.) Enabling this feature turns on a predefined set of filters that
blocks other actions so the user only experiences the specified
application and is unable to access system files and other applications.
- Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry – Our
offering for Industry devices like POS Systems, ATMs, and Digital Signage
that provides a broader set of device lockdown capabilities.
