Vista essentials: A business guidebook: Insight - Software

The launch of Vista will create a huge opportunity for Linux vendors to take a larger share of the corporate desktop market.

Video: Vista missing 'interesting' developments -- Jonathan Oxer, Linux Australia president.

Is XP sufficient for the next couple of years, or do we want to get onto a new platform? It's always a question of the costs and benefits.

Video: Licence costs could delay NSW Education Dept's Vista plans -- Tim Anderson, Information Services Director

We do have some legacy Windows 98 and Windows 2000 platforms but...

Video: Slow crawl to Vista for NSW Education Dept -- Tim Anderson, Information Services Director

After more than three years in the making, Windows Vista was unveiled to corporate users late last year.

While some chief information officers and administrators of Australian companies are in no rush to roll out Vista because the operating system requires too much processing power and doesn't provide a compelling business case to upgrade, there are others who are keen on the new OS.

Vista is here, should SMBs care?
We look at some of the reasons an SMB might benefit from going to Vista, the costs and drawbacks of doing so, and some factors you should consider in planning a Vista deployment.

Top Vista-ready notebooks
Ready to upgrade to a Windows Vista-compatible machine? We pick the top notebooks which are ready for Vista out of the box.

Is Vista security a selling point?
A raft of security features in Microsoft Vista will help many consumers become "secure enough" but for businesses they aren't going to be the improvements which drive sales -- and nor do they deserve to be, according to some experts.

Why you should (and shouldn't) upgrade to Vista
There are plenty of reasons to upgrade to Windows Vista and there are also plenty of reasons not to. Here's a look at 10 reasons why you should upgrade to Windows Vista ... and 10 reasons why you shouldn't.

Windows Vista Business
Windows Vista Business is essentially warmed-over Windows XP. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista is stable enough for everyday use.

Windows Vista pros and cons
The decision for some small business users to upgrade to Microsoft Windows Vista once it becomes available in early 2007 will depend largely on what the new operating system can do for you and what hardware you have to run it on.

Photo gallery: A view of Microsoft Vista
Microsoft has released its new operating system to hardware manufacturers. Take a look at some of the features new in Windows Vista, with our photo gallery.