Questions to ask in Windows transition

WEIGHING the cost and benefits of migration to Windows 7 is likely at the top of mind for organizations currently running an older version of Windows. Whether planning for an early migration or waiting until the support of the current version of operating system ends, it is a decision that every business will have to make.

Migration to a new operating system need not be a daunting task. Below we look at some key questions to consider:

"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.

1. Why should I migrate?

Migration is inevitable as operating systems go out-of-date and end-of-life – all organizations will eventually have to cross the migration bridge.

In addition, Windows 7 has productivity, security and control enhancements that businesses can leverage. Microsoft has also managed to avoid many of the migration and deployment issues that some have experienced in the past.

A system migration is a great opportunity to take stock of your existing IT systems and check that they meet the needs of your business today and in the future.
2. How do I know if I am ready to migrate?

Be sure not to rush into a migration just to have the newest and shiniest operating system. Take advantage of the planning time to re-evaluate your hardware and software vendors. You will also need to identify which of your hardware and software is supported by Windows 7 and which will need to be upgraded.

Windows 7 migration is also an ideal time to future-proof your business by improving efficiency, manageability and cost-effectiveness of your IT system to help reap the long-term rewards that come from a manageable, sustainable IT environment.

3. What should I do before I begin?

Start with an in-depth assessment of your inventory. Gather information about hardware, applications and security. This will help you determine when and what you’ll need to make the move, and what the costs will be.

Work with key decision-makers within the organization throughout the process. The migration should be planned with goals and objectives. You should be able to demonstrate the success of the plan after the migration is completed.

Altiris Client Management Suite from Symantec gives you complete visibility into your company’s systems so you can see what you have, where it’s located and what state it’s in.

4. What if something goes wrong?

Besides gathering the necessary physical and human resources for the migration you should have a backup and recovery solution in place, should the worst happen and you encounter a system failure, disaster or human error.

Lack of proper backup and recovery protection for desktops and laptops leaves organizations at risk of losing critical business data and hurting productivity during the migration. Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery is ideal for this task.

5. How do I prepare end users for the migration?

End users want to start up their computers and see exactly what they’re used to seeing.

Transferring each computer and end users’ unique settings and customizations could be the difference between seamless success and disappointment. The less disruption to your end users the better they accept the change, which is better for your business.

6. How do I manage the migration?

Before you press go on your migration, you should fully test the new system to make sure it works and to see if you need to make any adjustments. Did you identify any network changes implemented when you were evaluating and assessing your business systems at the start of this process? Make those changes before you do any test migrations.

Depending on the size of your organization, you might want to pilot Windows 7 with a number of users across a range of departments to ensure that the new system works for a range of users.

7. How do I measure the success of migrating to Windows 7?

Once you have completed your migration there is one important step remaining: analysis and reporting, so that you can evaluate the success of the project. (Paul Kastner, Symantec Asia Pacific and Japan endpoint management solutions director)