Upgrading To Windows 2000

INTRODUCTION

Windows 2000 is primarily designed as an upgrade to Microsoft’s Windows NT 4 operating system family. Microsoft is currently selling on an upgrade to Windows 98, named Millennium Edition or Windows Me.

CAN I UPGRADE WINDOWS 98 TO WINDOWS 2000?

At this point, the answer is yes, but with a cost. Windows 98 and Windows NT are very different operating systems. Consequently, Microsoft has had a tough time coming up with an operating system that can upgrade both NT and 95/98. We recommends that only users of Windows NT upgrade to Windows 2000, and that Windows 95/98 use the Millennium operating system to upgrade.

Here are the top reasons why businesses are moving to Windows 2000 Professional:

#1: Value. The number one reason to move to Windows 2000 Professional is the overall value it offers your business. As this list proves, Windows 2000 Professional can help you reduce costs through improved management and increase productivity through improved reliability and ease of use. For example, analysis conducted at Credit Suisse First Boston predicted that using Windows® 2000 Professional could reduce the firm's directly related IT costs by 15 percent, as well as improve employee productivity by cutting computer-related unproductive time by as much as 41 percent. For more about return on investment, see this report from Arthur Andersen .

#2: Reliability. An essential requirement for business users is a personal computer they can count on. That's why Windows 2000 Professional includes fundamental improvements—such as modifications to the operating system core to prevent crashes and the ability for the operating system to repair itself—that make it the most reliable desktop operating system Microsoft has ever produced. On comparative reliability tests conducted by ZD Labs, the average system uptime of Windows 2000 Professional was over 50 times that of Windows 98 and 17 times that of Windows NT Workstation 4.0.

#3: Mobility. Mobile computing is simpler and more efficient with Windows 2000 Professional. This means you can work anywhere, anytime while also saving time and increasing productivity. As described in these news articles, "Finally, a Notebook OS" and "Mobile Users In Love with Win2K" , Windows 2000 Professional offers mobile users key productivity and time-saving features, including the ability to hibernate and restart the system without a reboot and the ability to easily take files and folders offline.

#4: Manageability. Windows 2000 Professional is easier to deploy, manage, and support. Centralized management utilities, troubleshooting tools, and support for self-healing applications all make it simpler for administrators and users to deploy and manage desktop and laptop computers. These improvements pay off in reduced costs, as illustrated by this Eastman Chemical total cost of ownership analysis.

#5: Performance. The advancements made throughout Windows 2000 Professional are accentuated by the operating system's speed. As shown in ZD Labs tests running the most popular business applications, with 64 MB of RAM, Windows 2000 was 32 percent faster than Windows 95 and 27 percent faster than Windows 98. It is also significantly faster than Windows NT 4.0 on configurations with 32 MB of RAM.

#6: Security. Windows 2000 Professional provides comprehensive security features to protect your sensitive business data, both locally on your desktop computer and as it is transmitted over your local area network, phone lines, or the Internet. With its support for Internet-standard security features such as IP Security, Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol, and Virtual Private Networking, Windows 2000 is so secure that banks, such as Credit Suisse First Boston , use it. For some organizations, such as the law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP, security is a key reason for moving to Windows 2000.

#7: Internet. The familiar user interface of Windows 98 combined with all the capabilities of Internet Explorer 5, makes using the Internet and your local desktop a unified user experience, as described by PC Magazine . This user interface, combined with integrated search capabilities, makes it easier to find and use information locally and on the Web.

#8: Usability. As described in this Windows 2000 Magazine review , Windows 2000 Professional combines the power and security of its predecessor, Windows NT Workstation, with the traditional ease of use of Windows 98. It also provides more wizards, a centralized location for common tasks, and menus that adapt to the way you work.

#9: Data Access. When you use Windows 2000 Professional in conjunction with Windows 2000 Server, you can take advantage of IntelliMirror technologies. By letting you store your important information and desktop settings on a central computer, IntelliMirror lets you work on any computer attached to your network as if you are at your own desk. The centralized management savings made possible by Windows 2000 IntelliMirror technologies are one of the reasons WFofR, Inc. is using Windows 2000 Professional.

#10: Hardware. Windows 2000 Professional lets you take advantage of new hardware devices, such as those with universal serial bus (USB) and IEEE 1394 (Firewire) connections. In addition, support for existing hardware makes Windows 2000 ideal for companies, such as Panasonic , that want to standardize on a single operating system across their organizations.

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