CHRIS WARD
Senior solutions architect at Greenpages, a solution provider in Kittery, Maine
I believe the biggest changes in Windows Server 2008 come in the Terminal Services realm. For years, Microsoft has been two steps behind Citrix from a feature perspective with Terminal Services, and other third parties, such as Provision Networks, have stepped in to add some of these features to Terminal Services.
With Windows Server 2008, a lot of these features have made their way into the heart of Terminal Services. They include the ability to 'publish' or run seamless window applications; a more robust web interface; and a 'secure gateway' type feature to allow access to both terminal servers and XP/Vista workstations via the Internet, without the need for any third party software or appliances.
The management of these new features could still use some improvement, but they're a step in the right direction. From a channel perspective, this could greatly shake up small and medium size Citrix partners who rely on Presentation Server as a primary revenue stream.
