Microsoft Courts Businesses With Windows 8.1 RevealMicrosoft Courts Businesses With Windows 8.1 Reveal

8 Free, Must-Have Windows 8 Apps

Speaking during Monday's keynote at the company's TechEd Conference in New Orleans, Microsoft representatives made the case for Windows 8.1 in the enterprise. A day later, a new report reinforced that businesses might need more convincing.

On Tuesday, SysAid Technologies, a Tel Aviv, Israel, maker of IT management software, said that as of April, only 0.53% of its corporate customers' computers were running Windows 8. It also found that fewer than 12% of the 2,000 corporations around the world that it sampled had deployed Win8 in any capacity, and that around three-fifths of this group has installed the OS on fewer than 10% of its machines.

Aggregately, various Windows versions still power more than 90% of the world's PCs. But as the BYOD trend has gained steam, PCs have ceded ground to smartphones and tablets and iOS and Android have started to eat into Redmond's de facto monopoly over workplace computing.

Because Windows 8 is the first Microsoft platform intended to serve users' growing preference for touch interfaces and mobile devices, much has been made of the OS's consumer appeal. To date, that appeal has been limited, due not only to Redmond's late entry into the tablet market, but also Win8's massively overhauled interface, which has been criticized as not only confusing but also of little use for desktop users.

[ Will Win8.1 resolve the key problems with Windows 8? See 8 Things Microsoft Should Fix In Windows 8.1. ]

According to Net Applications, which monitors 160 million users and 40,000 websites, Windows 8 claimed 3.82% of the market in April -- not a great number, but substantially better than the meager 0.53% rate that SysAid recorded among enterprise users. Net Applications found that Win8's reach expanded to 4.27% in May, eclipsing Windows Vista's share for the first time, but posting its worst month-over-month gains since launching last fall.

Monday at TechEd, Microsoft representatives described Windows 8 in terms of BYOD, but rather than emphasizing consumer trends, keynote speakers framed the message largely around IT manageability and workplace productivity. In building their argument, officials revealed several new details about Windows 8.1, an update, formerly codenamed Windows Blue, that will be released as a public preview on June 26 at Microsoft's Build Conference in San Francisco. Windows 8.1's official release is expected to follow by the end of the year.

Newly divulged Win8.1 details include several features related to wireless networking. NFC technology, for example, will allow Windows 8.1 users to print documents by simply tapping their devices to a printer. If a device lacks appropriate drivers, the OS will automatically install necessary updates. In a similar vein, the update will also include native support for the Miracast wireless display standard, enabling users to more easily connect to projectors for presentations.

For IT administrators, Windows 8.1 will include a feature that automatically establishes a VPN connection when an employee attempts to access sensitive corporate content, as well as an "Assigned Access" mode that, much like the App Lock function that Apple debuted in iOS 6, allows admins to restrict the OS to a single app. This feature targets single-use applications, such as kiosks, though Microsoft also used TechEd to tout Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry, which is aimed at point-of-sale and digital signage needs, and includes additional admin tools.

Win8.1 will also allow IT to control the start screen's layout. Microsoft confirmed last week that the update will allow users to more granularly customize the Live Tiles that populate the start screen, but the feature announced Monday effectively allows companies to deactivate this flexibility and ensure a uniform appearance across all corporate-controlled Window 8.1 devices.

More closely tied to BYOD concerns, the update will enable IT to remotely wipe business data without affecting a device's personal content. Windows 8.1 will also support Open Mobile Alliance Device Management specifications, allowing admins to more easily install many leading mobile device management products.

The keynote also disclosed that Windows 8.1 will allow users to create a Wi-Fi hotspot with devices that have integrated 3G or 4G connectivity. A Monday TechEd Session, meanwhile, revealed that the update will include native support for fingerprint readers, and that the authentication feature can be linked to individual folders. Though these new features will probably be welcomed by those who currently use or manage the OS, it's not yet clear if the update will reverse Windows 8's enterprise struggles.

To an extent, it's unsurprising that Win8's corporate adoption trails its overall adoption; businesses rarely rush to migrate to a new platform, usually preferring to wait until a service pack or major update has addressed bugs and improved reliability. Even in this context, though, and despite Microsoft's claims to the contrary, Windows 8 has underperformed. SysAid noted, for example, that Windows 7 had already gobbled up 11.3% of the enterprise market at the same point in its release cycle, compared to the 4.27% rate for Win8 that Net Applications reported in May.

In an interview at TechEd, Brad McCabe, senior product marketing manager of Windows Commercial, said that corporate OS upgrades demand "a lot of nuance" and are usually "customer-by-customer conversations." Still, he projected enthusiasm for Win8.1's chances, and implied that Microsoft is taking a measured approach to the new era of touch-centric computing.

McCade said, for example, that Microsoft's guidance to Windows XP customers is simply "get off XP to a modern operating system." He noted that it doesn't make sense to disrupt businesses' already-in-motion migration plans, most of which involve Windows 7.

McCade said that Microsoft recommends Windows 8 to Windows 7 customers "where it makes sense." He said tablet deployments have been one such area, but also noted that upgrades have also been motivated by the OS's security and virtual desktop infrastructure enhancements. "Each customer has their sweet spot," he explained.

McCade suggested Microsoft is hoping widespread Windows 8 upgrades will occur in 2014, and that customers are encouraged to think about touch-equipped devices as they begin to plan hardware refreshes. Once these devices are more ubiquitous, he said, "we'll probably see Windows 8 spread much broader."

There are several reasons to believe McCade is right, at least to an extent. Windows 8 is still the only platform that offers tablet apps and legacy x86 compatibility in one package. Poor reviews were likely a factor in the OS's inauspicious debut -- but other forces, such as the first touch-equipped Win8 models' prohibitively high prices, were also contributors. Though the jury is still out regarding Win8.1's impact on poor word of mouth, many of the other factors are changing.

Now that device prices are falling, for example, Windows 8's value proposition is much clearer. For evidence, one need look no further than the huge line of people waiting to buy heavily discounted Surface models at TechEd. To be fair, the conference's attendees don't necessarily represent the whims of the larger market, particularly consumers. Nevertheless, the promise of $100 Surface RTs and $300 Surface Pros compelled some attendees to queue up for more than two hours. That's the sort of response that's more typical of Apple's user base. Assuming all those Surfaces don't end up on eBay by next week, that's saying something.

Most of this potential for growth, though, involves mobile devices. Windows 8 offers under-the-hood refinements relative to Windows 7 and its the touch-oriented Modern UI, which many mouse-and-keyboard users have deemed more distracting than useful. Windows 8.1 will address this criticism with a modified version of the start button, which was notoriously omitted from Win8's original version, as well as a boot-to-desktop mode that not only bypasses the new start screen, but should also enable users to avoid using Live Tiles altogether. Nonetheless, it's unclear how successfully Microsoft has mollified the concerns of its core users, or how much Win8.1's undisclosed features will add to the mix.

Aside from the Windows 8.1 news, Microsoft's other announcements at TechEd included Windows Server 2012 RS, System Center 2012 R2, SQL-Server 2014 and updates to Windows Intune.