It’s been a very exciting several of months for us here at Microsoft, and for many of our customers and partners, sharing the excitement of Windows 7. Since its release to manufacturing in July, through this week at TechEd Europe, we’ve had a lot of Windows 7 and MDOP activities, including countless in-person launch events held around the world. We’ve also had an estimated one in two IT Professionals worldwide try Windows 7, we’ve seen hundreds of community led events, and millions of you have visited us on the Springboard Series on TechNet to get information, tools and guidance for migrating to Windows 7.

I have personally visited 12 countries in the last 2 months and had the chance to speak with many customers and partners to learn about your experiences with Windows 7. Several themes are consistent. You tell me your users are incredibly excited about the performance and productivity improvements of Windows 7 and your IT organizations are seeing great value in the enhanced security and management. I am hearing how you can both pull cost out of your organization and provide greater productivity to your users. It is very encouraging to hear this positive impact you’re seeing with Windows 7 in your organization.

You heard from some of our customers during the TechEd keynote, and we thought you might like to hear the experiences of several other customers that we have worked with and how they realized and quantified significant cost savings. We have also included some useful guidance below to help you with your deployment planning

• International energy company Statoil is deploying Windows 7 along with Windows Server 2008 R2 to provide their travelling employees with seamless access, improve information access in their branch offices, and further enhance their IT security. By using DirectAccess, BranchCache, and BitLocker, Statoil is able to provide their users with mobile and remote access as well as the satisfaction that their data is protected. Check out this Q&A with Statoil for more on their Windows 7 deployment.
• F. Hoffmann-La Roche, a Switzerland-based healthcare company, is working towards their goal of deploying Windows 7 to 5,000 of their PCs to take advantage of BitLocker’s ability to protect data stored on hard drives as well as removable USB sticks. Roche is working closely with Microsoft Services to plan and deploy their new Active Directory infrastructure as well as their Group Policy management rollout.
• The Ministry of Defense in the Netherlands is working to upgrade 50,000 of their PCs to Windows 7 through 2010. By starting their application compatibility testing early – on Windows Vista last year – they were able to get a jump start on their Windows 7 deployment plans and begin their pilot of 200 users, who have expressed excitement over the enhanced user interface and their ease of data access wherever they are.

You can hear from more customers during our live monthly Webcasts on the Windows Enterprise website. For more information specifically on cost savings early Windows 7 adopters have experienced, visit the following total cost of ownership studies:

• Getronics is seeing direct IT labor savings of $111 per PC per year
• Baker Tilly is reducing their IT labor costs by $191 per PC per year
• City of Miami is reducing their IT labor costs by $148 per PC per year

So how can we help your organization realize the benefits of Windows 7? Microsoft has an extensive set of partners that are trained and ready to help you with your deployment planning and migration to Windows 7 - since January this year we have trained more than 110K partner individuals on Windows 7 worldwide. These partners can help you assess your readiness for a Windows 7 migration, they are able to help you develop a deployment plan and can provide services to assist you in the deployment, migration and ongoing management and support of your environment.

Additionally, Microsoft Services has consultants and support professionals in 82 countries to help you out. They offer specialized services based on best practices developed in coordination with product groups and early adopter customers to help you test your applications and jumpstart your deployment, including:

• Desktop Planning and Deployment services, which provide a framework for planning and deployment of Windows 7 operating system and desktop applications. It includes planning and architecture design, proof of concept, and pilot deployment that determines the optimal way to deploy Windows 7 and Microsoft Office based on customer business requirements and organizational readiness.
• Microsoft Services Desktop Application Compatibility offering provides an end-to-end application compatibility solution to ensure that business applications and data can be used more effectively in the new desktop environment with Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8 and the latest version of Microsoft Office.
• Desktop Image Engineering creates a standardized corporate desktop image that takes into account hardware, security, performance and localization requirements, in addition to applications, deployment and management. Consultants also give your team guidance on future maintenance and change management.
• Desktop Deployment Jumpstart helps you understand the costs of developing an enterprise-capable desktop, including a current state assessment, gathering requirements, and a gap analysis against a Microsoft referent deployment solution architecture.

What are YOUR next steps? Here’s some deployment planning guidance which might help you:

• If your organization is still running Windows 2000, we recommend that you begin your application testing on Windows 7 and begin your deployment planning.
  • If you’ve already started a migration to Windows Vista, continue that deployment, as it will help you get ready for Windows 7 when the time is right for you.
• If your organization is on Windows XP, we recommend that you also begin your application compatibility testing on Windows 7 and begin your deployment planning.
  • If you’ve already started a migration to Windows Vista, continue that deployment, as it will help you get ready for Windows 7 when the time is right for you.
  • If you’re in the early stages of planning a Windows Vista deployment, we recommend that you test your applications and infrastructure on Windows 7 and our advice is to change to Windows 7.
• If you have just deployed Windows Vista, we recommend that you begin evaluating Windows 7, and consider Windows 7 as you refresh your hardware or deploy it to the users who’d benefit the most from its features.
• Don’t have access to Windows 7 Enterprise edition? If you’re an IT professional and don’t already have access to Windows 7 Enterprise edition, you can download the 90 day evaluation SKU here. This will allow you to begin testing the final released code with your hardware and application portfolio.
• Already running Windows 7? Tell us what you think! You can join the conversation at www.talkingaboutwindows.com.

Today at TechEd Europe 2009, one of our Windows 7 enterprise customers, Petter Wersland, Lead Architect at Statoil, participated in a panel discussion with Stephen Elop, President of Microsoft’s Business Division as a part of the keynote presentation. We caught up with Petter Wersland just before this appearance to get more information on their Windows 7 deployment.

Rich Reynolds: Tell me about Statoil and your role at the company.

Petter Wersland: Statoil is an international energy company based in Stavanger, Norway. We operate in 40 countries with 30,000 employees with an additional 10,000 consultants. With roughly 40,000 desktops under management, we have a significant IT team.

I’m the lead advisor within the IT infrastructure area covering the Windows ecosystem and storage solutions. I’ve been at the company since 1991, covering several positions in IT and Windows infrastructure.

We’re moving from Windows XP to Windows 7 and are looking forward to using the new functionality introduced in Windows 7. We’re preparing a rollout that includes a hardware replacement of most of the PCs in the entire company.

Rich Reynolds: How are you driving productivity in the organization? What results are you seeing with Windows 7?

Petter Wersland: We’re expecting productivity gains with Windows 7 and Unified Communication. The efficiencies we expect include enhancing the end users’ ability to collaborate across the organization and across borders. With Windows 7 we’re seeing three really great benefits: enhanced IT security, faster file access for traveling users within the company, and improved remote connectivity from Internet. For security, we’re implementing the Standard User security level and BitLocker for drive encryption. Because of these features, we’ll be able to eliminate the encryption software we currently use and expect to save $330,000 based on our current number of portable computers.

For our increasingly mobile workforce, we’re taking advantage of DirectAccess. With DirectAccess the users will have a seamless access to corporate services whether the users are connected to the corporate network or connected to Internet. We can therefore eliminate VPN for most users. Also the client management tool we use, System Center Configuration Manager, can maintain the PCs with updates and security patching while they are outside the corporate network.

We’re also hearing from employees that Windows 7 just makes their PCs snappier and more responsive– especially for laptop users. Employees who are already on Windows 7 are telling us that it is easier to move between meetings and start and stop laptops.

Rich Reynolds: What advice would you give to IT Pros?

Petter Wersland: I recommend IT professionals educate themselves on the enterprise functionality in Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and other Microsoft products. Features like DirectAccess, BranchCache, App Locker and other security features are important tools for implementation of Windows and can really benefit your organization.

Rich Reynolds: How do you approach getting approval on new projects? Any lessons learned?

Petter Wersland: In these economic times it is hard to get approval and it takes time for a significant project like this. We have noticed financial restrictions on new projects and in some cases projects have been postponed, but we’re balancing that with investments for the future of our IT infrastructure. For example, the PC replacements we are planning company-wide were originally scheduled for this year, but now we have postponed them to next year. When moving to a new version of the Operating System, you’ll need to plan time for application testing. We have about 1000 applications we support on the Windows Client and all of them needed to go through a formal testing process.

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2009, the industry's largest and most important annual gathering of CIOs and their senior IT leaders is taking place this week in Orlando, Florida.

During this year’s event, which will focus on how business technology can help customers return to growth by balancing cost optimization and risk mitigation, Microsoft will be helping customers to understand how they can realize the benefits of Windows 7 through the following activities and sessions:

Windows 7 Early Adopter Customer Panel: Tuesday, October 20th, 2009   12:30PM - 1:30PM ET (Moderated by Michael A. Silver - Gartner)

A panel of Windows 7 early adopters will discuss Windows 7 planning, deployment tips and rollout plans. During the panel, attendees will share their experience on planning for a successful deployment and the immediate results they received deploying Windows 7. Featured Gartner Research VP & Distinguished Analyst Michael Silver will facilitate the panel discussion. Please visit Gartner.com for a replay of this webcast on October 22nd.

Windows 7 Unplugged-- Tips From Microsoft's CIO Office: Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 2:00Pm - 2:20PM ET (Rick Merrifield - Microsoft)

In this interactive session, the Chief Architect in Microsoft’s IT department will share insider tips on how to plan, pilot and rollout Windows 7. Learn how your organization can benefit from applying the Windows Optimized Desktop to increase end user productivity, enhance security and reduce costs by automating IT management.

Windows Optimized Desktop-- Windows 7 and Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack: Wednesday, October 21st  3:30PM -4:30pm ET (Gavriella Schuster - Microsoft)

The Windows Optimized Desktop is designed to help with today’s imminent IT challenges while ensuring your future success. Come learn how Microsoft Windows 7 and the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2009 R2 together provide better user productivity, stronger data protection, security and PC management and automation improvements that can help you  save costs and improve IT efficiency.

Mastermind Keynote with Stephen Elop, President, Microsoft Business Division Thursday,  October 22nd 11:00am - 11:45am (Moderated by Neil MacDonald and Brian Gammage - Gartner)

Gartner analysts Neil MacDonald and Brian Gammage will moderate an interview with Stephen on a variety of topics top of mind for Symposium attendees. As president of the Microsoft Business Division, Stephen oversees the Information Worker, Microsoft Business Solutions and Unified Communications Groups here at Microsoft and is a member of the company's senior leadership team that sets overall strategy and direction for the company.

Windows 7 Hand On Labs— Monday, October 19th - Thursday,  October 22nd Various times (Various presenters)

30 minute, proctor led, interactive sessions where attendees can experience the following features of Windows 7: Windows 7 UI features, Internet Explorer 8 & Web Slices, Problem Steps Recorder, Med-V (using Internet Explorer to launch a Med-V web site), and using BitLocker which will include a 1GB key drive to activate BitLocker as a giveaway, with pre-loaded content including the current product guide and the Microsoft Optimized Desktop datasheet.

Most people buy a PC preinstalled with the edition of Windows that meets their unique needs. However, for some customers their needs may change over time.

With Windows Anytime Upgrade (or WAU), we make it super easy and convenient for the small number of customers who’s PC needs evolve to need a higher edition of Windows 7.

There are a couple of specific situations where we think WAU will prove useful:

Windows 7 Starter to Windows 7 Home Premium: $79.99

A customer may purchase a netbook thinking they would use primarily it for email. Over time, they find they are using that netbook as their primary every-day PC. That person decides they want their netbook to do more. If the netbook is running Windows 7 Starter (or Windows 7 Home Basic in select markets), WAU makes it super easy to upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium. Moving to Windows 7 Home Premium will allow that customer to take advantage of features such as Aero Peek and other enhanced functionality in the Windows Taskbar in Windows 7 such as Taskbar Previews. Desktop themes are also enabled and so is Remote Media Streaming.

Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional: $89.99
Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 7 Ultimate: $139.99*

* You’ll note that we’ve reduced the price of moving from Home Premium to Ultimate 12% in the US as compared to Vista pricing

Another case where WAU may come in handy is when a person wants the ability to connect to a business network (a “domain”). Using WAU to move up to Windows 7 Professional enables the customer to take advantage of the ability to join a domain and use Windows XP Mode to run older programs. When using WAU to move to Windows 7 Ultimate, you’ll get everything from the other editions plus BitLocker to keep your USB devices encrypted and secure and the ability to run your PC in any of 35 different languages (via Language Packs).

After Windows 7 is released to market on October 22nd, you will be able to buy a retail package that contains an upgrade key at a store near you for any of the 3 paths I highlighted above.

If you live in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK or the US (13 countries) – you will be able to purchase the upgrade from Microsoft online directly within Windows 7.

Whether you buy a WAU retail package from a store or online directly within Windows 7, the upgrade takes as few as ten minutes. This is because it only requires an upgrade key (no media). Your current programs, files, and settings will remain intact.

For a rundown of the Windows Anytime Upgrade experience, click here.

Now let’s talk about the Windows 7 Family Pack. Last week I confirmed we were doing a family pack for Windows 7 consisting of Windows 7 Home Premium for installation on up to 3 PCs.

Today, most homes have more than one PC in them. When you run Windows 7 on more than one PC on a home network, you can do more with features like HomeGroup. HomeGroup allows people to connect to PCs on their network and share files, music and photos with the whole family – easily. The Windows 7 Family Pack is an easy and affordable way to get all your PCs in your household running Windows 7 through licensing to install Windows 7 Home Premium on up to 3 PCs.

The Windows 7 Family Pack will be available starting on October 22nd until supplies last here in the US and other select markets. In the US, the price for the Windows 7 Family Pack will be $149.99 for 3 Windows 7 Home Premium licenses. That’s a savings of more than $200 for three licenses. This is a great value and we’re excited to be able to offer it to customers.

As we’ve been saying for a while, we continue hearing feedback from our customers that they are excited to test and deploy Windows 7. Baker Tilly, an accountancy firm in the UK, has taken this to the next level and has already completed deploying Windows 7 across their infrastructure. I chatted with Simon Harding-Rolls, Director of IT at Baker Tilly, to get more information on their Windows 7 deployment.

Rich Reynolds: What operating system was Baker Tilly using before their Windows 7 deployment?

Simon Harding-Rolls: Windows XP. This formed the basis of what we called "Standard Build 4" which was deployed to all desktops and laptops used throughout the firm. 

We have a policy to standardise and commoditise the provision of IT as much as possible hence the imaginatively named "Standard Build."

Rich Reynolds: Why did Baker Tilly choose to deploy Windows 7?

Simon Harding-Rolls: We needed to change, feeling that there was little more business benefit we could squeeze out of XP. After evaluating the beta versions of Windows 7 we found it to be robust, compatible with the vast majority of our applications and delivering greater performance. This was the platform we needed for (an also imaginatively named) "Standard Build 5."

Rich Reynolds: How many seats of Windows 7 did you deploy?

Simon Harding-Rolls: We have deployed to 2,318 seats over some 30 sites.

Rich Reynolds: When did you complete your deployment?

Simon Harding-Rolls: Deployment was organised by site with the last being "hit" on 17th July.

Rich Reynolds: What version of Windows 7 are you running? Assuming you’re using Windows 7 RC, when will you upgrade to the final version of Windows 7?

Simon Harding-Rolls: We have based our "Standard Build 5" on the Enterprise Edition of Windows 7 and deployed using build number 7201. This contains a number of improvements on the standard RC and was released just in time for us to deploy - but only just! A little midnight oil was required to assimilate it into our build and complete our regression testing. We plan to deploy the final version of Windows 7 during November at the same time we are rolling out Windows Server 2008 R2.

Rich Reynolds: How long did it take you to deploy Windows 7?

Simon Harding-Rolls: We deployed the system to the first site on 22nd June, so the whole task took exactly four weeks.  All the work was done outside of normal office hours so as to minimise the disruption to our users. About three hours of evening effort was required for a site of about 100 users.

Rich Reynolds: I believe Baker Tilly has a strong partnership with Dell; how did this partnership enhance your Windows 7 deployment experience? 

Simon Harding-Rolls: Our relationship with Dell was absolutely crucial in that it gave us access to the technical resources and knowledge we needed to ensure the project's success.

Rich Reynolds: What steps did you take before deploying Windows 7? Any application compatibility testing? Did you have an IT Solutions provider help outline your deployment process?

Simon Harding-Rolls: Preparation started in February and involved detailed planning, prioritising which benefits we were attempting to realise for our users, developing test builds, deploying these to a selection of users representative of the different disciplines within the firm as well as our own formal testing.  Application testing started early by completing the tests and developing regression test plans under Vista. These were then ported to the release candidate when it became available.  We have a long tradition of "self sufficiency" and therefore did not employ an "IT Solutions Provider.”

Rich Reynolds: Did you use any tools to help deploy Windows 7 across your infrastructure?

Simon Harding-Rolls: CA's Unicenter, which we have used for many years.

Rich Reynolds: Did you encounter any issues with your Windows 7 deployment? How did you overcome them?

Simon Harding-Rolls: We didn't hit any significant issues during the deployment itself. This was almost entirely down to the amount of testing we had performed prior to pressing the "green button.” Prior to the deployment there were, as you would expect, a number of issues particularly with the early builds of Windows 7: functionality not behaving quite as expected and some application compatibility issues. The former were overcome with assistance from Dell and Microsoft and the latter issues have mostly been resolved in more recent builds of Windows 7. Where this has not proved possible in the time allowed, we have deployed Terminal Server based solutions as a temporary measure to cover a couple of apps whilst the suppliers are making their software fully compatible.

Rich Reynolds: What benefits are you expecting from Windows 7? Cost savings? Energy efficiencies?

Simon Harding-Rolls: While there will be cost and energy savings, these are not our prime drivers. Windows 7 delivers greater performance and flexibility to our users. That means they can do more, wherever and whenever is most appropriate to meet the needs of our clients.

Rich Reynolds: Have you seen any benefits from your Windows 7 deployment already?

Simon Harding-Rolls: Thus far we have received over 300 emails from users. Over 70% have mentioned improved performance. That's without any prompting!

Rich Reynolds: Are there specific features you expect may save your company money?

Simon Harding-Rolls: We will be deploying DirectAccess, BitLocker and BranchCache later this year. Again, rather than pure cost saving, we will be looking to maximise the performance and flexibility of the system for our users enabling them to be more responsive to our clients' needs.

Rich Reynolds: What is your favourite Windows 7 feature?

Simon Harding-Rolls: As a partner: more productive members of staff. As Director of IT: a system that is manageable. As a user: I just love the uncluttered task bar!

Rich Reynolds: Are you using Windows Server 2008 or planning to migrate to Windows Server 2008 R2?

Simon Harding-Rolls: We are currently using both 2008 and 2008 R2 for specific production tasks. We plan to standardise our estate on R2 with the migration projects currently in development / testing with deployment planned for November.

Rich Reynolds: Are you using Internet Explorer 8?

Simon Harding-Rolls: Yes - and the users love it, both for its speed and tabbed browsing.

Rich Reynolds: What advice would you give to another corporation looking to move to Windows 7?

Simon Harding-Rolls: I'd love to say "go for it,” but every corporation's needs will be different as will their resources. For us, having seen the results of our initial evaluation, the decision was a no-brainer. In our case, programme and project risk was identified as coming from the scale of the enterprise and NOT from the fact that we were deploying new or "bleeding edge" technology.  If you do "go for it,” at the risk of stating the obvious: plan, develop, test, test again and DON’T take steps that are too big – it’s just like climbing Everest really!

Rich Reynolds: Thanks for your time, Simon!

To the other Windows 7 early adopters out there: leave a comment and let us know how you’re deployment is going. We love hearing from you and would be happy to share your story.

Lenovo announced today a new T-Series ThinkPad Laptop called the T400s. Lenovo’s T-Series laptops cater to business customers looking for a powerful and thin laptop. Lenovo put a lot of effort in designing this laptop to be light, durable, robust, and powerful – key elements to a great business laptop for the mobile worker. I’ve had the chance to play with a T400s here in my office for the last few days and it has been a great experience so far.

The T400s will ship with the following specs:

• Choices of Intel 2.53 GHz Core2Duo processors and graphics
• Choices of up to 128GB SSD or 250GB hard drive storage
• 9.5 mm slim DVD burner or Blu-Ray player
• Ethernet (Gigabit) & WiFi
• Optional WiMAX, WWAN, Bluetooth and Ultra-wideband Connectivity
• 34mm Express Card slot or 5-in-1 multimedia card reader
• Almost 6 hours of battery life
• Display Port and VGA connectors (Supports 2 External Monitors!)
• Energy Star 5.0 Compliant
• 2 Built-in USB Ports
• 1 Built-in eSATA/USB Combo Port (Total of 3 USB Ports)
• Fingerprint Reader
• TPM 1.2

As you can see, with these specs the T400s is quite powerful. It also can come jam-packed with network connectivity options (including support for Mobile Broadband) helping keep you connected no matter where you go. Because security is super important to the Mobile Worker – the T400s comes with a Fingerprint Reader and TPM 1.2. With TPM 1.2, BitLocker can be used in both Windows Vista and Windows 7 to secure the laptop. You also get your choice of storage. My T400s had a 250GB hard drive.

The design of the T400s is pretty slick. The T400s uses Lenovo’s “Top Cover Roll Cage”, which they first introduced with the X300, in the construction of its frame. This roll cage is made out of reinforced monocoque carbon fiber which is the same stuff they use on airplanes and super-fast cars. This keeps the T400s pretty light. It weighs in at just under 4lbs (with a 6 cell battery) which is about 20% less than its T400 predecessor. A non-SSD hard drive may also add some weight to the laptop as well as they tend to be a little bit heavier. But Lenovo gives you the choice to choose (as mentioned above).

This is a pretty thin laptop, measuring in at 0.83 inches (yes, I measured!). Part of the ability to keep this laptop so thin is that Lenovo uses a very thin 14.1 inch LED screen.

For the T400s, Lenovo tweaked the keyboard a bit. The keys are much closer to each other – likely to prevent gunk from getting underneath. The Delete and ESC keys are also larger.

The touchpad is now flush with the palm rest and is textured to help people feel its location.

I also discovered that the T400s has an “always on” USB port in the back. This means that if the system is in sleep/standby or hibernate mode you can still plugin devices like MP3 players or mobile phones and have them charge off the laptop’s battery.

Another very interesting aspect of this laptop is how Lenovo optimized it for VoIP. Many businesses are utilizing VoIP for their communications. This laptop can essentially serve as your communication hub when you’re out-and-about. Lenovo added a new toggle switch at the top of the keyboard so that you can easily increase and decrease your system volume – putting the user in more control of their audio. I’m told this will become a standard for all Lenovo laptops going forward. The speaker volume has been amped up to be more than 2x greater than audio levels see on the T400. And the speakers themselves have been moved to the sides instead of on the palm rest area seen on the X300 series laptops.

Lenovo put 2 digital microphones in for better recording. The dual microphones are expected to cut down the amount of ambient noise picked up during your VoIP calls and improve clarity with sound. And of course you can have audio without video. The T400s comes with built in 2.0 megapixel webcam that can shoot video up to 30fps. The webcam also has “Lower Light Capture Capability” to capture decent video is very low-lit conditions.

Lenovo puts Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate on their business laptops. The T400s I have came with Windows Vista Business.

However I decided to put Windows 7 (the Windows 7 RC) on it. Instead of upgrading from Windows Vista, I did a clean install. Windows 7 picked up most of the drivers with updates to many of them available for me on Windows Update. I had everything up and running very quickly.

With Windows 7 and the T400s, I am able to secure the laptop with a variety of features from Windows 7. Windows 7 has BitLocker (which we introduced with Windows Vista). Using TPM, I was able to encrypt the hard drive of the laptop to ensure if the laptop ever gets lost so that no one can get the data off the hard drive.

Windows 7 has a new biometric framework and in combination with UPEK’s biometric software – I was able to quickly enroll fingerprints for a further enhanced security. UPEK takes advantage of Windows 7’s biometric enhancements. This process was incredibly easy. As mentioned above, the T400s can come with built in Mobile Broadband. Windows 7 brings enhancements that take advantage of Mobile Broadband making it easy to connect and stay connected.

I had fun playing with this laptop. Special thanks to Lenovo for the opportunity!

The Lenovo ThinkPad T400s will become available at www.lenovo.com starting at $1,599.