Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Make sure your Microsoft Windows version was designed for the rigors of business use.

Don’t get seduced by the low price of consumer versions of Microsoft Windows.

Since 1995, Microsoft has had a two-tier product line.

The lower-end, entry-level products tend to be much less reliable and are designed for consumers, while the premium operating systems are optimized for the demands of businesses.

Not All Windows Are Created Equal

Although each new version added more bells and whistles, the stripped-down, low-budget version of Microsoft Windows always was intended for the casual home PC user.

However, even before the release of Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft had a more dependable, secure and efficient operating system, Microsoft Windows NT, built for the more discriminating business user. Table 4-1 shows consumer and business operating systems used by most small businesses today.

Roll back your calendar to August 1995, when Microsoft Windows 95 shipped amid huge promotional fanfare. At the time, the PC hardware required to run the business version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51, just wasn’t affordable for most small businesses.

However, in 1997, PC hardware prices began to plummet. This meant faster processors, larger hard drives, more RAM and speedy video graphics accelerators.

Even entry-level PCs became powerful enough to run Microsoft’s flagship business operating system. Almost overnight, small businesses could afford to enjoy the enormous security, performance and reliability of the premium versions of Microsoft Windows.

So, when Microsoft Windows 98 came out, Microsoft started promoting Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4 as the desktop PC operating system of choice for small businesses.

Are you using the right version of Microsoft Windows?

Consumer products (home user)	Business products
	Desktop	Server
Microsoft Windows 95 Microsoft Windows 98 Microsoft Windows 98, Second Edition Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) Microsoft Windows XP Home	Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4 Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Microsoft Windows XP Professional	Microsoft Windows NT Server 4 Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Microsoft Windows .NET Server
Relative Cost Indicator: $	Relative Cost Indicator: $-$$	Relative Cost Indicator: $$$

Table 4-1

Eight 32-bit Microsoft Windows products have been used by small businesses since the mid-’90s -- and that’s just on the desktop side of the typical office network.

Microsoft Windows XP Professional Action Items

Do you have a written inventory of which desktop PCs, notebooks and servers in your company are running various versions of Microsoft Windows?

On desktop PCs and notebooks, what percentage are running consumer versions of Microsoft Windows and what percentage are running business versions?

 

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