14 DAY TRIAL // The same as any other application designed for Windows 8, enterprise apps for the platform will provide employees with access to updated info on their apps straight on the Start screen, without having to open the specific software.
By taking advantage of the currently available development tools for WinRT, companies can easily come up with great apps for their customers or employees, specifically designed to fit their specific needs.
With Windows 8 devices being always-on, always connected, applications on tablet PCs are instantly on, offering fast access to data, whenever the user needs it. Moreover, companies can build these applications to benefit from secure access to the enterprise network.
In fact, the Metro environment in Windows 8 ensures that customers and employees benefit from a fast and fluid experience with the applications that their company has designed for them to use.
IT managers also have the possibility to request for specific applications to be installed on company's devices, yet users will also have to agree to have them on their tablets.
By taking advantage of cloud connectivity, employees can benefit from access to the same data as from any other corporate device.
Through Remote Desktop Services, even Windows RT devices can benefit from access to desktop applications. They will connect to such apps through Windows Server, for increased capabilities available for users in enterprise environments.
While virtualization will be available on Windows 8 tablets powered by Intel processors, devices running on ARM architectures and powered by Windows RT will benefit from such capabilities only through a server-side service.
The good news, however, is that this is possible, and that IT managers can offer increased access to applications inside an enterprise environment even to employees with Windows RT-based tablet PCs.
During a short demonstration at TechEd EMEA 2012, Brad McCabe, product manager of Windows Commercial Business Group, showed software that can already tap into these features built into Windows.
Applications that can leverage the Metro style environment while delivering the needed management capabilities IT professionals are looking for on their PCs can also be developed, Brad McCabe said.
He also showcased how Windows 8 apps designed for business use could be easily connected through the Share or Search contracts that developers can implement inside their software.
Windows RT comes with a set of settings that businesses can take advantage of to benefit from the ability to manage their own applications on new devices, while also being able to control the sharing features that users benefit from on these PCs, he added.
There is also the support for Microsoft Office in a desktop environment, along with the ability to side-load apps on Windows 8 and Windows RT devices when necessary.
By making sure that there can be great applications available for companies interested in adopting Windows 8, Microsoft is making another step towards proving that its new platform is ready to enter the enterprise environment.