Management

Windows 7 includes new management tools to automate and centrally administer Windows 7 machines. The two major additions are Windows PowerShell 2.0 and improvements to the Group Policy settings.

Windows PowerShell is a scripting language that supports multiple functions such as automation, looping, branching, functions, debugging, exception handling, etc. It allows for the centralized and automated management of entire Windows environments. Think of PowerShell as the older command prompt on steroids. It is a real shell with scripting capabilities. Windows PowerShell is also a scripting engine that alongside Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (PowerShell ISE) can be used to easily write, debug, and execute scripts. PowerShell is a great new tool for managing Windows environments and should be considered by all administrators.

Group Policy has also been improved to include almost every single Windows 7 setting there is. This allows for policy set by OU in the Active Directory to manage your entire environment from a centralized location. Group Policy has traditionally been used to enforce policies but with Group Policy Preferences, administrators can now select how settings are applied. IE 8 Group Policy has been added and supports over 1,000 group policies for IE configurations in your environment, a great way to enforce security settings.