There is some preparation and planning required before rolling out a new operating system in an enterprise though. One critical step is to validate that the applications the business relies on will work with the new operating system.

Microsoft has developed the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) to help you do just that. The latest version, ACT 5.5, has been updated to perform application compatibility for Windows 7 systems. Download the tool and start assessing your applications so you can be ready for Windows 7. You can also check out this interview between Stephen Rose and Jeremy Chapman to learn more about the updates and changes in the most recent Application Compatibility Toolkit.

I have spent years working remotely from home or on the road as a consultant and having to deal with various VPN connection clients to be able to access internal data and network resources. I have also seen things from the side of the administrator trying to keep an accurate inventory of roaming systems and ensure they are all patched and updated.

DirectAccess will change the entire relationship between the internal network and the wandering laptops- essentially allowing them to be permanently connected as if they were physically located in the home office from anywhere in the world as long as there is an Internet connection.

You need more than just Windows 7 clients to achieve it though. You also need WIndows Server 2008 R2. Take a look at Paving the Way for DirectAccess to learn more about the feature and what you can do now to lay the groundwork to be ready to use it.