No matter if you’re at home, on the move or in the office, Windows 7 lets you connect and get things done. The trend these days is towards remote and mobile computing, and it’s important for an operating system to provide the tools necessary to keep you connected and productive wherever you may be. So Microsoft has incorporated a variety of new networking features in Windows 7 that simplify connectivity and help users access resources.

Here’s a closer look at some of the innovations.

Roaming users generally rely on VPNs (virtual private networks) to provide a secure connection between their computer and the internal company network. You don’t have to know how it works, but it’s the magic technology that convinces IT managers to say yes to working from outside the office.

When you’re sitting in a hotel room, at a customer’s office or in your own study, and you establish a VPN connection, your PC will generally stay logged on without any problems. However, when you’re relying on a Wi-Fi hotspot or mobile broadband dongle to establish a VPN connection while on the move, you may suffer frequent dropped connections and a cumbersome process for re-authenticating and re-establishing the VPN connection each time.

The VPN Reconnect feature allows Windows 7 to automatically re-establish active VPN connections after Internet connectivity is interrupted. As soon as Windows 7 reconnects to the internet, it will also reconnect to the VPN. Read more.