Now is the time to manage your environment and to start moving away from fire-fighting mode. Moving to Vista presents an opportunity for the IT organization to carefully define and implement a standard operating environment.

The term “standard” does not just refer to having the same operating system on all of the desktops. It refers to the way all of your desktops are configured and managed, of which the operating system is merely a vehicle. Therefore, your Vista objectives may look something like this:

• Create a single image for all users comprised of an operating system, productivity suite (i.e., Office 2007), PDF Reader (i.e., Acrobat Reader), antivirus and any other software that is fully licensed to every user in the environment. The Vista platform is modularized so you can create a single platform, even if you have different hardware types, brands, languages, etc. Further, Vista’s registry and directory virtualization eases application compatibility issues - which were traditionally difficult to manage with legacy systems.
  

• Define an image management process that includes a distribution method, compatibility test scripts and procedures to keep patches and application versions up to date on a single “master image.”
  

• Define a standard hardware threshold upon which the standard operating environment will run effectively. Next, define a hardware life cycle so it maintains its current platform and takes full advantage of warranty coverage. Vista's hardware agnostic view gives you greater flexibility in choice since its images are no longer tied to a specific hardware type.
  

• Create application profiles that specify the supported application names, as well as the criteria for acquisition and addition of applications. These include applications not contained within the master image. To better manage licensing and image compatibility, pay careful attention to what applications are allowed and what are not. Further, defining the criteria for your organization has a more proactive approach to managing what is in their environment. Vista gives you plenty of chances for compatibility here, from SoftGrid to ‘Run as’ options that make implementing your application portfolio easier.
  

Moving your organization from Basic to Standardized is an important first step towards gaining control of your infrastructure and making IT a more efficient cost center. Studies show that making this jump presents a potential cost savings of $233 per PC per year.

Now that the organization is starting to get things under control, it's time to take the next step and start reducing costs. To reduce costs here will require the introduction of automation. Organizations that are in the Standardized category may have Vista objectives similar to the following:

• Create an automated deployment process to allow for a light-touch or zero-touch approach. It is commonly recognized that a standard operating system deployment at the desktop is comprised of inventory data/profile location and backup, image deployment, application installation and data/profile restoration. Many technologies exist to automate these steps in an operating system deployment. Microsoft has refined its Business Desktop Deployment methodology, which offers many tools to help automate the process. Automation technologies, such as Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and Altiris position organizations with an automated process that allows the deployment to be managed from a central server with a few clicks in a wizard. Regardless of the technology used, cutting the desktop deployment from four hours to fifteen minutes definitely has obvious appeal.
  

• Implement software distribution technologies to eliminate sneakernet in the organization. The time it takes to install applications from a CDROM or network share slows down deployment, making deployment costs skyrocket. This method also increases manual administrative tasks associated with asset inventory and license management. Now is the time to implement a software distribution solution such as, Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager or similar solution.
  

• Centralize policy management using Active Directory. Obtain a more finite control over your distributed PC architecture by taking advantage of Active Directory and Group Policies. The Vista operating system presents 2,400 policies that can be managed by the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). Some of the more compelling policies include power management, device installation controls, printer assignments based on location, security settings and local firewall management.
  

• Lock-down the population to keep administrative rights in the hands of IT, rather than the end user. This objective is tricky, as in many organizations, the cultural cultural shift associated with this change is drastic. The implementation of Vista is already a change in culture, and coupling a lock-down with it may keep your end users from being receptive to the change. However, this is one best practice that makes the difference between IT effi ciency and operational anarchy. Vista adds a great number of policies to allow finite control over the systems. Integrating with Active Directory and the GPMC provides even greater freedom.
  

Moving your organization from Standardized to Rationalized moves the IT organization out of fire-fighting mode, and into a realm of proactive management. Studies show that making this jump represents a potential cost savings of $280 per PC per year.

To move into a Dynamic platform would mean focusing less on cost of ownership and more on business responsiveness. For instance, simplifying IT systems to improve business agility is an ideal way to make improvements; Windows Vista facilitates managed code associated with the .NET framework.

Improving user productivity could also be a key goal with a Vista deployment. This includes allowing ad-hoc shared spaces via wireless access is a way to facilitate collaboration quickly and safely.

Moving your organization from Rationalized to Dynamic starts to sway away from cost savings and leans more on business improvement. At the end of the day, IT should be a business enabler, and the Dynamic environment positions this in the best way possible.

Using technology to truly drive the business proactively with limited operational management needed is a spot held by very few organizations. It is entirely likely that the Dynamic organization already has plans to implement Vista to capitalize on its ability to improve end user productivity, strengthen security and support the businessnimble IT infrastructure.