Quote from Windowsteamblog
Today, at TechEd, we are pleased to announce that by the end of July we will be releasing the public beta of Service Pack 1 for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. During our Desktop Virtualization Hour webcast in March, we introduced you to Service Pack 1. We demonstrated the two main new features in Windows Server 2008 R2 that will provide virtualization capabilities to help enhance the Windows VDI experience:
Microsoft RemoteFX is designed to introduce a new set of end user experience enhancements to remote desktop computing in Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 that enable a rich, local-like desktop environment over the network. With RemoteFX, connected knowledge and task workers can experience their workspace in full fidelity, improving end user productivity, while their applications and data are kept highly secure and centrally managed in the data center.
Dynamic Memory will enable Windows Server Hyper-V to dynamically allocate more or less memory to each VM as needed, provided a more scalable and better performing VDI environment. These changes will be important for customers who are planning VDI deployments (generally about 10 percent of our user population).
While the new features for Windows Server 2008 R2 benefit Windows 7 by providing a richer VDI experience, SP1 will not contain any new features that are specific to Windows 7 itself. For Windows 7, SP1 will simply be the combination of updates already available through Windows Update and additional hotfixes based on feedback by our customers and partners. In other words, customers can feel confident about deploying Windows 7 now!
As proof to that claim, several organizations of all sizes are already in the process of deploying Windows 7 and not waiting for SP1. In fact, we’ve already sold more than 100 million licenses of Windows 7. Analysts and third-party researches agree with this:
IDC’s Al Gillen discusses how SP1 should not be a reason to delay your Windows 7 deployments in his new report, “Windows 7 SP1: Not the Barrier You Might Expect.”
A Dimensional Research/KACE study that shows 16% of IT pros are running Windows 7 and 42% are planning to start their deployment by the end of 2010.
In addition, customers are telling us about the positive experiences they are realizing with their Windows 7 deployment:
When technology innovator and developer National Instruments committed to deploying Windows 7, they underwent early and extensive testing to easily make the transition. As a result, Alan Russi, Director of IT Infrastructure for National Instruments, reports that their deployment is moving quickly and they expect to reach 2,000 deployed seats by end of June. In addition, Windows 7 is now in higher demand as more end users want to experience similar productivity and usability gains as their colleagues.
At Expedia, Mike Peterson, IT Director, found that Windows 7 offered new features to boost productivity and security and recognized the platform as a foundational step to optimize the desktop environment. By the time the formal evaluation was finished, the executive team was excited for the new enhanced user experience and stability that will come with the rollout of Windows 7.
