Windows RT and Business: A Tablet for All Seasons

While ARM‑based Windows RT tablets and devices are aimed squarely at the consumer market, Microsoft also knows that these devices will be hugely popular at work, because they’re deployed by the employer or because users will simply choose to use them to get work done. There’s just one problem: Windows RT, like the basic version of Windows 8, doesn’t support domain join, so you can’t integrate your Windows sign‑in with your employer’s Active Directory environment. Fortunately, Windows RT has two things going for it that will somewhat mitigate this issue.

First, Windows RT, like all versions of Windows 8, fully supports the Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) management protocol, the same technology that businesses use to manage devices all of kinds, including Windows Phones, Apple iPhones and iPads, Android handsets and tablets, and many other devices. EAS provides a ton of management functionality, including:

• Push‑based corporate e‑mail, calendaring, tasks, and contacts: And these all integrate with the appropriate Metro‑style apps on Windows RT, including Mail, Calendar, and People.

• Password: Your workplace can specify a minimum password length, that a password is required to use the device, that an alphanumeric password is required, and password reset intervals. After a failed number of sign‑in attempts, the device can be remote wiped or disabled. And many, many more password policies are available.

• Timeout: Your workplace can specify that if the device is left unused for a set period of time, it will be locked automatically.

• Device encryption: Your employer can require that any disks attached to the device be encrypted. This can include the primary storage device (the internal hard disk or SSD) as well as external storage. Windows RT provides this support with device encryption.

• Hardware device disabling: Your workplace can specify that certain devices in the Windows RT tablet be disabled, including the camera, Bluetooth, IrDA, and more.

• Software disabling: Your employer can specify that certain types of software be disabled, including consumer e‑mail, POP3/IMAP e‑mail, web browser, and more.

Second, Microsoft is providing a special Windows RT management client that will allow users to connect to a self‑service portal on their employer’s servers and browse and install Metro‑style line of business (LOB) apps that would otherwise require a domain connection, as well as perform other duties. Key among these is the ability of the employer to specify compliance around certain EAS‑type policies such as device encryption, the enabling of Auto Updates, and the configuration of antivirus and anti‑spyware solutions.

While these capabilities don’t quite amount to domain join, they do remove most of the pain with using a Windows RT‑based device for work in a managed environment. It remains to be seen how many companies will be forward leaning enough to implement this in the years ahead, however.