Moving to modern embedded platforms today
Posted By Barb Edson
General Manager, Marketing and Business Development
Businesses now have one year to migrate off of Windows XP; Microsoft will end support for the platform in April, 2014 including Windows XP Professional for Embedded Systems. Windows Embedded product manager Cuong Pham explains the efficiency and security benefits of migrating to a modern Windows platform.
As my colleagues over at Windows are reminding companies today, Windows XP’s support will end in April 2014, and businesses are moving to modern platforms like Windows 7 and Windows 8.
From our perspective, that means that support is ending for Windows XP Professional for Embedded Systems in 2014, too. (Windows XP Embedded will be supported through 2016; please see Microsoft Support Lifecycle for more information on support for other Windows Embedded platforms.) Businesses moving to modern platforms need industry devices such as thin clients, point of service (POS) devices, kiosks, digital signs, medical devices, automation devices and more, and expect them to be easy to deploy and manage based on familiarity, common tools, and integration with enterprise and IT assets. OEMs have the opportunity to build industry devices on Windows 7 and Windows 8 platforms using Windows Embedded 7 and Windows Embedded 8:
• Windows Embedded Standard 7: a modular version of Windows 7
• Windows Embedded POSReady 7: a specialized version of Windows 7 designed for retail
• Windows Embedded 8 Standard: a modular version of Windows 8
• Windows Embedded 8 Industry: a fixed platform based on Windows 8 for industry devices
Windows Embedded 7 and Windows Embedded 8 bring value to industry devices in several ways:
• Familiar modern Windows technology and user experience;
• Connectivity and interoperability with modern Windows technology, Windows Server, and System Center;
• Enhanced security, ease of deployment and management, and application compatibility, plus embedded-enabling and advanced lockdown features.
Some of our partners are seeing great success with their industry devices built on Windows Embedded 7, and support for Windows Embedded 7 is available through 2020. These devices include:
• HP t610 thin client
• Dell Wyse Z90D7 thin client
• NCR RealPOS 82XRT POS terminal
• Siemens SIMATIC IPC277D IPC
OEM partners now building new industry devices on Windows Embedded 8 will realize even greater benefits, thanks to the platform’s unique differentiation: modern UI and applications, multi touch, and advanced connectivity, security and lockdown.
• Partnership in Retail: Dell Wyse
• Partnership in Retail: PAR Tech, Inc.
• Partnership in Healthcare: HP
• Partnership in Healthcare: Omnicell
Industry devices profit from the new platform’s enhanced features in many ways. A new ATM will benefit from Windows Embedded 8’s multi touch, enhanced security and lockdown capabilities, for example. A new POS device built on Windows Embedded 8 will have a more modern UI, multi touch and advanced connectivity; a new medical device will benefit from all of that and the platform’s enhanced security.
Furthermore, new industry devices built on Windows Embedded 8 will give businesses the ability to add and turn on enterprise-specific functionality and features like sideloading, DirectAccess, AppLocker and BranchCache through licensing options Microsoft will make available in Q3 2013. Support for Windows Embedded 8 is available through 2023.
Take the next steps:
• Visit Windows Embedded for more information and download evaluation versions of Windows Embedded 7 and Windows Embedded 8;
• Contact your Microsoft account manager and/or local authorized distributor for licensing information;
• Build industry devices on Windows Embedded 7 and Windows Embedded 8 for business that expect and need the very latest technology and user interface;
• Read the feature story here, and visit the Windows for your Business blog to learn more.