The migration to Windows 7 is being touted as one of the largest migrations to occur in PC history. Some organizations are simply migrating as part of attrition when new PCs are purchased. Others are looking at migrating large sections of their organization based on requirements for a new application, while still others are deploying Windows 7 to select users who are clamoring for the latest and greatest. Whatever your particular situation, having a solid plan in place is a must. For our story, we are going to set up a scenario which many of you will be able to relate to, and then walk you step by step through the high-level tasks that make up a successful migration. Along the way, we'll give you tips and tools to get you there.
Our story
As the director of IT, you are approached by the CFO, who requests that his entire department be moved to Windows 7 to support a new financial package. He has one main location at headquarters with 30 PCs, and 10 satellite locations spread over a 50-mile radius with 5-10 PCs each. All PCs are running Windows XP. He is requiring that all existing software on those PCs be supported on Windows 7, since he has no budget for new software. As an additional wrinkle, he has recently replaced some of those PCs and therefore needs to know how much of the current hardware will support Windows 7.
Where are you now?
Before you can move forward, you have to know where you are now. That includes finding out how many existing applications are actually being run in his department, as well as what type of hardware he has. Enter Novell's ZENworks Asset Inventory and Asset Management.
ZENworks Asset Inventory is included in the ZENworks Configuration Management package. Asset Inventory will give you a detailed picture of the readiness of your hardware for Windows 7. The reporting function is phenomenal and will give you lots of options to run. In like fashion, it will provide you with a software inventory, listing all the applications installed on each machine.
Once the hardware and software inventories have been completed, Asset Management will take you to the next level. By entering all your software licenses into the database, compliance reports can be run. Not only that, but by tracking the history of the PCs for a time, you can see what applications are actually being used. For example, consider a product like Adobe Creative Suite. Let's say you have 10 licenses, but someone in your department was trying to keep end-users happy and installed it on 20 machines. When you use Asset Management to check usage, it reveals all 20 machines, and the fact that only 5 users are actually using it on a regular basis. Asset Management has not only apprised you that you are out of compliance, but that you are over-buying software licenses!
In the case of our story, you should run several reports and have a meeting with the CFO to present the findings, including what hardware is ready for Windows 7 and actual counts of the software that is installed in his department. He may be surprised to learn that 5 of his staff have Quicken installed, even though it is not an application that is used by his department. Based on your findings, strategic decisions can be made around what needs to be supported on Windows 7, and any compliance issues that exist can be rectified.
Now both you and he have a clear picture of where you are going with the migration. With your list of required hardware, you can begin the ordering process. Likewise, with your software list, you can begin testing on Windows 7.
Article Source: http://goo.gl/pJzFa
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