Windows Vista Editions: Information For Providers

Important note: this document is designed for Local Support Providers (LSPs). This page was last modified on Thursday, 20-Aug-2009 12:04:45 EDT.

Windows Vista is available in five different editions in the United States: Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Premium, and Home Basic. This University-centric document compares the various editions and offers contextual advice on which editions are appropriate for various University-affiliated user populations.

Business

Comparable to Windows XP Professional, and aimed at the business market, this edition supports domain-based authentication, Encrypting File System (EFS), and control over the installation of device drivers, all features which both Home Basic and Home Premium lack. It also includes features such as support for Tablet PC functionality, scheduled backup, and full support for Windows Meeting Space. The Business and Enterprise editions do not include many of Home Premium's higher-end media features, such as Windows Media Center. $300 full retail price/$200 upgrade retail price

Enterprise

This edition is aimed at the enterprise segment of the market, and is an enhanced version of the Business edition. It adds a technology called BitLocker that supports encryption of the system volume and also includes support for simultaneous installation of multiple languages. This edition is not available through retail or hardware vendors. Requires Software Assurance (two licensing options - Select Licenses with Software Assurance or Campus Agreement)

Ultimate

This edition includes both the multimedia features that come with Home Premium edition and the business-class features that come with the Enterprise edition and adds "Ultimate Extras", a replacement for Microsoft Plus! that includes special online services for downloadable media. The Ultimate edition is targeted at high-end PC users and enthusiasts, gamers, and media professionals. Note that Microsoft will not support Ultimate for the same extended period that it will support Business and Enterprise. $400 full retail price/$260 upgrade retail price

Home Premium

Based on Home Basic, this edition is comparable to Windows XP Home and includes features aimed at the home market, such as Windows Media Center (which includes HDTV recording capability), and DVD authoring, burning, and playback. It also adds some infrastructure-related features such as support for Tablet PC functionality, scheduled backup, and full support for Windows Meeting Space. Information Systems & Computing (ISC) does not recommend, but will support Home Premium. Home Premium is missing important networking and security features, such as domain-based authentication, that are critical to many Schools and Centers in the University. In addition, Microsoft will not support Home Premium for the same extended period that it will support Business and Enterprise. $240 full retail price/$160 upgrade retail price

Home Basic

This edition is an extremely limited version of Windows and is intended for budget users. The Windows Aero visual style is not included with this version. ISC will not support Home Basic. Home Basic is missing many important networking, maintenance, and security features that are critical to many Schools and Centers at the University. ISC strongly suggests that users who are thinking of installing Home Basic will be better served by remaining with Windows XP Service Pack 2. $200 full retail price/$160 upgrade retail price

Advice For Providers

ISC will support the 32-bit versions of Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, and Home Premium editions of Windows Vista for its clients, including off-campus students, only on new workstations that ship with Windows Vista pre-installed. ISC strongly recommends that all other users adopt a "wait and see" approach, continuing to use previous versions of Windows (including Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home, and Windows 2000 Professional) until the initial bugs in Windows Vista are identified and fixed.

ISC believes that most Schools and Centers will be best served by deploying the Business or Enterprise editions (depending on whether or not they are Campus Agreement participants).

Home Premium and Home Basic will ship on many consumer-oriented desktops and laptops that will be purchased by University-affiliated individuals. ISC believes that Home Basic devices should be upgraded to at least Home Premium and to Ultimate if domain-based authentication is required - this can be done using Microsoft's Anytime Upgrade capability, though pricing for these upgrades is not yet clear.

For More Information

The Windows Vista Information For Providers page offers an overview of the various issues surrounding Windows Vista along with links to related documents.