Windows 7 might have come up with some real performance boosts and become
easier to install and use. But irrespective of that migrating a large desktop
fleet to Windows 7 would still have its own set of challanges.
You must have a streamlined mechanism to migrate your desktops and laptops to
Windows 7. The process of migrating to Windows 7 was discussed by Venkat
Subramanium of Dell at the recently concluded Infrastructure SummIT.
Why upgrade?
Before discussing how to upgrade to Windows 7 and tackle the pain points, the
first identify the need to upgrade. A few reasons that were highlighted were:
An effective Windows 7 client migration will take minimum 18 to 24 months to ensure that all applications are migrated properly and all endpoints have been touched upon. Only an aggressive plan can reduce it to 12 to 14 months. Venkat Subramaniam, GICS Manager, |
Improved productivity: Windows 7 makes it possible for users to work
from any location, providing faster and easier access to their data and in a
secure manner. Plus some of the nifty Aero effects are not just meant for
flaunting but can also make some day to day tasks pretty quick.
Security and compliance: Windows 7 is better at protecting data and
eliminating unwanted applications from the network. And if combined with
Microsoft's NAP services it can give greater level of network security.
Improved manageability: Windows 7 is easier to manage, especially when
combined with Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP).
Improved performance: Windows 7 is built on Vista and is more stable,
runs faster and with less power than XP or Vista. At CyberMedia Labs we have
done many tests comparing Windows 7 with other operating systems and have
actually found out some real performance enhancements. You can find more
information at http://tinyurl. com/pcqwin7.
Identify the pain points
Once you have decided to migrate, you need to keep the following in mind:
Platform stability: The first question would be, how do you make sure
that the new platform is stable or not. And the easiest and safest answer to
this question would be to become a follower instead of a leader while adopting
these new products.
So, instead of jumping to deploy the new product give it some time to see how
well it behaves. If not at enterprise level then check the performance at
individual level (consumers of laptops and PCs).
Application migration: This is very important because if any of your
key enterprise application stops working after the migration, then it could be
disastrous. And after the release of Windows Vista we saw this happen quite
often.
To make sure such unknown issues don't come up after migration, There are
solution providers, who claim they will first test your business applications
before doing the migration.
Venkat mentioned that Dell provides such solutions where they not only test
your applications for compatibility before migration, but also provide you a
report which categorizes applications in three groups: Green (will work in
Windows 7), Amber (Will work with some customization or tweaking) and Red (will
not work). Hence you can decide your priority before going for the migration.