Summary. Windows 8 offers all of the power and flexibility of the networking and connectivity services offered in its predecessor

Windows 8 offers all of the power and flexibility of the networking and connectivity services offered in its predecessor, but improves on matters enormously with new Metro‑style interfaces that work across the OS, and features new capabilities that make this version of Windows the best yet from a connectivity standpoint.

Key among these new capabilities is the native support for cellular data connections, which achieves first‑class status in Windows 8 alongside wired and wireless (Wi‑Fi) networking types. If anything, cellular data support is superior to those older types of networking, thanks to intelligent integration with your wireless carrier’s metered and costly data plans. It’s even more powerful than the cellular support in most smartphones.

Windows 8 also expands on the HomeGroup sharing functionality from Windows 7, by adding a new Metro‑style interface. And HomeGroup‑style sharing is more important than ever because of the prevalence of Microsoft account sign‑ins, which makes old‑school sharing schemes a bit more difficult. But if you do need to access the network resources of a PC running an older Windows PC, too, the hidden Windows Credentials feature will make that happen.

Chapter 14

Windows 8 for Business

In This Chapter