Navigating the Windows Migration Trail

THE WINDOWS MIGRATION TRAIL How organizations can navigate the hazards and hiccups of changing Windows environments THE END OF XP Windows XP has been good to many organizations over the past decade, but with Microsoft ending official support of the OS in April 2014, the time has come to mosey on to new pastures. Here's a nine-step guide to making your way through the Windows Migration Trail. PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY ASSESS CURRENT ENVIRONMENTS Take stock of all hardware and software, especially the number of PCs. SURVEY THE APP LANDSCAPE Use software asset management tools to review current licenses and sniff out rogue applications. VERIFY APP COMPATIBILITY Test programs for compatibility before migration; this will helP prevent unpleasant surprises later. ON THE TRAIL BUILD ST ANDARD IMAGES Establishing a de fault template will make IT's life much easier. CAPTURE SETTINGS AND PERSONALITY Users are attached to their settings; make sure they don" get left behind. ASSEMBLE AND AUTOMATE Create a single process flow that deploys i mages, installs the prepared applications and restores personal settings. MI GRATE SYSTEMS Prioritize which apps and devices need to go first and go ful1-steam ahead. Ps ARRIVING AT THE PROMI SED LAND 8 SETTLE THE USERS Help users get acquainted with their new environments through video on demand and hands-on workshops. Windows8 MEASURE AND REPORT Keep track of the success of the migration and document any problems. Windows7, Ai 56% 52%anies have 73% of companies of com- of companies list security have completed updates as their biggest migrated 75% to 100% of Windows migrations on motivation for Windows their applications to existing hardware with no migration Windows 7 upgrades Biztech biztechmag.com/winxptrail INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS El El п