Microsoft promotes Windows 8.1 for financial business use

Thomson Reuters' BoardLink is a new Windows 8 financial app that will be released later this week.

With the official launch of Windows 8.1 just a few weeks away, Microsoft is promoting the use of the updated OS in different types of business markets. Today, as part of its appearance at the Sibos financial services event this week in Abu Dhabi, Microsoft is showing how Windows 8.1 can be used by large financial institutions.

This type of businesses will likely want to use the Windows 8.1 Enterprise SKU, which will have more security options than the Windows 8.1 Core or Pro versions. In a post today on the Windows for your Business blog, Microsoft says:

We designed Windows 8.1 with enterprise needs in mind, to ensure companies, especially in sectors like financial services, have advanced tools to protect their sensitive information –including biometrics for user authentication, remote business data removal for BYOD devices, and encryption support on all Windows 8.1 devices. As mobility demands increase, features like DirectAccess and business-class VPN functionality allow employees to stay connected to the people, apps and data they need to get their jobs done, while keeping corporate networks and data secure.

The blog post also reveals some new financial Windows 8 apps that will be launched later this week. One of them comes from Thomson Reuters, called BoardLink. The app is being made especially for the use of the members of a large company's board of directors. Board members typically have to hold a large physical book with sensitive information about their company, but this kind of setup has many security issues. BoardLink is designed to encrypt that kind of information and present it to those members via an app that can be run on tablets and other mobile devices. It also allows for collaboration between members of the board and offers links to the market database of Thomson Reuters.

Source: Microsoft | Image via Microsoft