When companies are planning for a migration to Windows 8 they're going to devote a lot of attention to various virtual desktops, and that's understandable. For many situations, though, a new deployment option -- Windows To Go -- may be the perfect solution for mobile employees.
I've had a chance to play a bit with Windows To Go, and I'm excited about the possibilities that this operating system on a stick has for mobile workers and the IT groups that manage them.
Linux fans have pooh-poohed the coming USB-hosted Windows 8 version, correctly noting that users have been able to launch Linux from a USB thumb drive for years. They're right, of course, though in the context of most enterprise desktop computing, no one cares. For enterprise Windows users, the availability of an (almost) fully featured Windows 8 instance on a thumb drive could be a game-changing development for many mobile professionals. To understand just how Windows To Go could work for you, it helps to understand what it doesn't do.
Much like a virtual desktop, Windows To Go rests on the platform of a particular desktop or laptop computer while insulating the Windows To Go user from private or potentially hazardous data on that computer (and vice versa). By default, access to the host computer's internal hard drive(s) is not allowed from a Windows To Go session.
The good news is that this allows a Windows To Go user to boot a session on any available hardware without worrying about corrupting the OS image with malware on the host, or about accidentally damaging information on the host through the use of Windows To Go.
The bad news is that, unlike Linux on a stick, Windows To Go can't be used as a "rescue disk" by roving IT pros called upon to do emergency system support.
For mobile professionals who need a personalized desktop but don't need the weight and bother of a full portable system, Windows To Go could be the perfect answer. One of the questions I'm often asked is about situations in which a virtual desktop isn't a good answer. My most frequent answer is that desktop virtualization is problematic without a reliable Internet connection. That's not a problem for Windows To Go, making it a superb option for employees who have to work at remote customer sites (or business locations) that don't have broadband Internet connectivity.
Microsoft has equipped Windows To Go with Bitlocker, making it a secure installation option suitable for employees who must conform to HIPAA, FERPA, or other federal privacy regulations. The security is enhanced by the behavior of Windows To Go when the USB drive is removed from the system. When the USB drive is no longer attached, the instance stops working. If the drive is reconnected within 60 seconds, the session continues. If not, the computer shuts down and virtually all traces of the Windows To Go session are erased. (A handful of device drivers remain to speed boot on subsequent sessions, but no individual information is left on the system.)
It's important to note that simply yanking the USB drive out of the system doesn't corrupt the Windows To Go instance or any individual data, making this "emergency" shutdown method applicable for first responders, military users, and healthcare pros who need to "yank and go" rather than waiting for the computer to shut down.
IT departments will need to analyze their individual use cases, but Microsoft has given the enterprise some important new tools with Windows To Go. It is, to be honest, one of the things that most excites me about Windows 8, and one of the things that companies will want to carefully examine as they plan their migration to the newest operating system from Microsoft.
Have you thought about Windows To Go? Do you think I'm wrong about its impact? Let me know -- I'd love to hear your thoughts concerning Windows on a stick.
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