REDMOND, Wash., March 12, 1997 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that the next phase of its Zero Administration initiative for the Microsoft® Windows® operating system will be available to customers within 90 days. This phase will be delivered through a Zero Administration Kit for the Windows NT® Workstation operating system version 4.0, a set of tools to reduce the cost of ownership by limiting a key component of hidden PC costs – end user operations. The Zero Administration Kit for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 provides centralized configuration of the desktop, prohibits users from installing applications, and allows applications and data to be accessed from the server. For an immediate online demonstration, visit the Zero Administration Kit Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/zak/.
The Zero Administration Kit for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 uses today’s Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 technologies, including system policies and user profiles, to implement a secure, policy-based management environment. The kit can be installed easily by
PC manufacturers preconfiguring new computers running Windows NT Workstation 4.0. IT managers with existing Windows NT Workstation 4.0-based machines will need to reconfigure to install the kit.
It provides the following functionality:
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Centralized configuration. An IT manager can specify exactly what business application users may run, the look of the desktop, and where user data can reside. This is all managed centrally and requires no visit to the actual personal computer.
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No local access to the desktop computer. Users can be prevented from installing applications on their desktop or making changes to the configuration of the system, preventing costly downtime.
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Application and data storage on the network server. The system can be preconfigured to load applications off the network, using the local hard drive as a cache for better performance. This provides the IT manager with centralized control and management of both applications and data, allowing for easy upgrades of applications as well as central backup and security.
“Customers and key industry partners Compaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp., and Hewlett-Packard Co. have told us the Zero Administration initiative for Windows is a great strategy, but have asked for an additional tool that can reduce costs today,” said Moshe Dunie, vice president of the Windows operating systems division at Microsoft. “The Zero Administration Kit does just that: It allows an IT manager to lock down desktops and prevent the type of end-user operations that result in Help desk calls.”
The Zero Administration Kit contains these components:
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An automated setup program, which creates server shares and unattended client installations
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Preconfigured system policies, user profiles and setup scripts that can be used as templates to control, lock down and manage the desktops
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Optional configuration modes where end users boot only into Microsoft Internet Explorer, or an internal line of business application, or a simplified Windows shell
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Step-by-step documentation
The Zero Administration initiative for Windows is Microsoft’s mission to reduce the costs of PC ownership while continuing to innovate on the Windows platform and increase overall value for customers.
For more details on the Zero Administration initiative for Windows, including information on Systems Management Server, Microsoft’s enterprisewide, comprehensive solution for centrally managing networked PCs; the NetPC, an industry reference specification co-authored by Microsoft Corp, Intel Corp., Compaq Computer Corp, Dell Computer Corp, and Hewlett-Packard Co. to reduce the cost and complexity of business PCs; and specific Zero Administration for Windows technologies being built for future versions of Windows and Windows NT, please visit the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com./windows/innovation/.
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