Selecting a Desktop OS: Windows 7 or Windows 8.1

Many organizations want to standardize on a specific desktop OS. Because the business features of Windows 8.1, including those that integrate with Windows Server 2012 R2, are now available for use with Windows 7, organizations may find Windows 7 has sufficient business value to remain on it at least until the OS is in Extended support. Which OS they select will likely come down to whether they require the Modern user interface and comprehensive touch support in Windows 8.1.

Windows 7 Receives New Features

When Windows 8.1 became generally available in 2013, it included two business-focused features that integrated with infrastructure provided by Windows Server 2012 R2: Workplace Join and Work Folders. Workplace Join allows administrators to grant access to corporate resources and enforce some corporate policy compliance for computers not joined to a Windows domain, such as employee-owned and -managed devices. Work Folders synchronizes files between corporate-managed servers and mobile devices over the Internet.