Usha Martin : Migration from Microsoft Tech to Linux

The rise in security threats from malware provoked the company to shift to a
system which is more secure and robust. The increase in total cost of operations
(TCO) to make IT infrastructure more secure made matters worse. So, the company
decided to shift to SUSE LINUX from Novell. The key parameters considered were:
Integration of existing applications (ERP client, mail client etc); after-sales
support from the principal company; end-users convenience and comfort; seamless
migration; and the effect it will have on the TCO without compromising the
above. Carrying out migration of this scale (where infrastructure consists of
multiple geographical locations and manufacturing units with 700+ users) from a
system which is already in place for several years and then ensuring smooth
operation post-migration, was bound to throw up sudden & unexpected challenges.
The major one was to keep the system downtime as minimum as possible during
migration. Resistance from the end-users was another and stemmed from their fear
of coming out from the comfort zone and getting used to the new system. Other
technical issues faced were: running existing MS-Excel files which were having
huge & complex formulae or at times MS-PowerPoint files with open-office; and
availability of printer/scanner drivers. The benefits to the organization are:
system crash occurrence came down by almost 90%; TCO came down by 90%; IT team
now could put its energy, time and concentrate on more value—added tasks.