Also mentioned but not demonstrated yesterday was the fact the iCal will be multiuser.

Of these Leopard announcements, I want to focus on several in more depth.

First, there's Time Machine, which has incredible potential for systems administrators and technicians. Although many commercial backup tools offer the ability to back up workstations, the client tools are often somewhat clunky and mean additional licensing fees. Time Machine, paired with a dedicated backup server, could eliminate the need for third-party software. This could easily cut the cost of developing an extensive backup strategy.

Its apparent ease of configuration and the fact that the operating system on the workstation would manage the backup creation and access on the server (rather than vice versa, as is more typical) will simplify creating a backup strategy and make restoring data much simpler. The fact that the user interface is easy to understand -- and at the workstation level -- also means that users could more readily retrieve lost or deleted files without the need for a systems administrator, and possibly without the need for any aid other than a quick call to a help desk. It also means users need not worry about copying files to an alternate location for backup, as is often done in situations where workstations are not backed up.

The Spotlight update is also big news. Systems administrators often spend a great deal of time planning share points and folder structures so users can easily locate files. But it can sometimes be difficult to create an ease-of-use situation while maintaining security. The ability to search remote servers will help users locate files much more easily. Again, this could result in fewer help desk calls when users can't remember where they have saved something. Spotlight's dramatic ability to search within files will also be handy, especially in networks that contain multiple servers and many share points.