Microsoft Windows Vista at UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley's Office of the CIO has launched a campuswide project to facilitate the introduction of the MS Windows Vista operating system to the UC Berkeley campus community.

In addition to representing a significant operating system (OS) change for MS Windows users, MS Vista also paves the way for the introduction of a new MS Office suite, MS Office 2007, which itself represents a significant change for MS Office users. An issue of particular note is that MS Office 2007 uses a completely new file format, one that will not be backwardly compatible with previous versions of MS Office.

Finally, Windows users and systems administrators should note that by 2010 all Windows machines on campus will need to be running at least Windows XP or Vista in order to comply with the campus Minimum Security Standards. Because deploying Vista will take planning and potentially involve a significant hardware investment, departments should start the planning process now.

For UC Berkeley IT staff who are either deciding whether or when to implement MS Vista in their departments, the UC Berkeley CalShare Windows Vista Site provides a number of good resources, including a discussion board and list of compatibility issues Vista may have with commonly used campus applications. CalNet login is required.

For UC Berkeley faculty and staff who are wondering whether to make the move to Vista, we recommend that you speak with your local IT staff before making a decision. You may also want to explore resources on this site that link to general information about MS Vista and provide information on licensing issues, and risks and benefits of moving to Vista.

UC Berkeley students can purchase MS Windows Vista at the The Scholar's Workstation.

Scope & Objectives of UC Berkeley's MS Vista Project

Microsoft's release of its long-promised Vista operating system and Office 2007 productivity suite will present technical, financial, and resource challenges to the UC Berkeley community. These challenges include:

Managing significant new constraints and costs imposed by the new End User License Agreements (EULAs)
Securing proper training for the IT and user communities
Identifying compatibility issues of the new OS with both shrink-wrapped and custom applications currently in production on the Berkeley campus
Identifying and mitigating the impact of the new OS on critical campus services such as Active Directory and virus scanning

The objective of this project is to proactively identify the risks and opportunities of moving to the new Vista operating system and MS Office 2007 suite, to ensure that IST services are prepared to meet new requirements, and to provide education, support, and best-practices guidance for campus departments who will be implementing the new software.