When rumors start swirling about the next Windows platform launch, it's a bit like a gathering storm. You can see the clouds and chaos coming, and you know you're going to have to be ready for when it arrives. Windows 7 is on the horizon, and IT professionals know that the migration effort it will require is going to be serious. However, it's not all doom and gloom - there are practical ways to make the transition smoother.
Windows XP has been the go-to for many offices, while Vista proved to be a step that many - if not most - businesses skipped. That step in itself will make a unique challenge for IT staff leading the Windows 7 deployment.
"In a recent survey, we found that 83 percent of respondents plan to migrate from XP directly to Windows 7," says Bob Kelly, a Windows 7 deployment expert with Dell KACE. "While that might seem to accomplish the goal faster, it actually poses some complications because Microsoft doesn't support in-place upgrades from Windows XP to 7. It requires a totally fresh installation."
However, Dell KACE appliances can make the migration process easier, even in the face of the unique challenge of moving from Windows XP to Windows 7. All of the tasks involved in the Windows 7 deployment, from user state migration and operating system deployment to application distribution are facilitated through the KACE appliance-based solution, minimizing end-user downtime.
These are just a few of the ways that KACE Appliances make the Windows 7 transition easier:
* Driver management. A driver feed automatically downloads the latest Windows 7 drivers right to your K2000, organized by computer model. You can also upload Windows 7 drivers from machines you've updated manually with a driver harvesting tool.
* User state migration. The worst case scenario in making a major migration is losing time, productivity and important information. To help avoid that situation, KACE appliances let you retain user-specific files and settings. At the same time, user state migration makes it simple to enforce corporate compliance standards when copying data.
* Inventory assessment. Most businesses have an arsenal of computers that date over a wide range of years. Checking all of those machines for migration readiness is an important step, and one that's made easier with the KACE Appliance, which collects detailed software and hardware inventories on the machines in your network and uses it to determine readiness.
These and other solutions offered through the appliance-based solution can save your company time, money and headaches that so many people fear when faced with the transition to a new system. And after the migration has been successfully completed, KACE appliances can continue to help, providing PC lifecycle management, including patch and configuration management, which could save your company even more money and stress down the road.
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