What Windows 8 means for the IT Department and the user

In September Microsoft released a developer version of its new Windows 8 operating system. The exciting aspect this time is that it's not an update of an old system, but a totally new operating system. An operating system that according to Microsoft itself marks the beginning of a new Microsoft. The question is, of course, whether this isn't just another marketing trick and don't the big boys always try to present new operating systems as something totally new that will change and improve the overall experience on a computer or digital device? Well of course, but this time all the indications are that what we're seeing with Windows 8 from Microsoft is a major change and a generation shift.

With Windows 8, the interface is mobile

There's no doubt that the borderline between mobile and desktop is now seriously on the way to being washed away. The big boys have the same objective, which is to be number one, and to be number one they need to dominate both our smartphones and our operating systems at home and at work. If the battle for our operating systems at work used to be fought between Microsoft and Apple, Google has now become seriously involved in the contest with the launch of Android, which has become dominant in the field of smartphones. Apple has made real progress with the launch of iOS, which is at the heart of all iPhones and iPads.

So now Microsoft needs to do something about this somehow, and they're doing it with Windows 8 and Windows Mobile, which will be launched in autumn 2011. These two operating systems have very significant similarities, partly because they have been developed from the same core, and partly so that we users can easily find our way around. Especially when we choose smartphones, we often go for the operating system and we hate having to learn something new from the beginning.