There has been a good deal of buzz about the October release of Windows 7. Windows 7 is Microsoft’s new operating system (OS) that addresses the performance issues of Windows Vista and promises significant business benefits—such as integrated applications that perform better and faster and new productivity-enhancing features. But as your organization prepares to migrate to Windows 7, you probably have some questions and concerns.
To address these concerns, HP Enterprise Services offers a full range of services to effectively plan, deploy and migrate your desktops to Windows 7. One of these is a Windows 7 Readiness Service to evaluate and assess your desktop environment, test application compatibility and viability for virtualization, and outline potential alternatives and remediation options. Then we work with you to recommend the best approach and timeline to migrate to Windows 7.
HP completes our “full-service” approach for Windows 7 migrations by delivering the automation and distribution framework needed to rapidly deploy operating systems, applications, security patches and application service packs to computers across your organization. Included in these services are application packaging and testing and the development of standard image build. HP combined services provide a one-stop shop for all your Windows 7 migration needs. And we have the experience to deliver.
HP has gained extensive experience deploying Windows 7 as part of the Microsoft Technology Acceptance Program (TAP). For more than a year, HP has been testing the OS and working with Microsoft experts to provide input and jointly develop solutions to correct problems. So whether you manage your Windows environment in-house or outsource it, trained and certified HP experts can help ensure minimal disruption.
Tackling the Windows 7 Challenge
HP clients today are at various stages in their technological journey. When Vista was released in 2007, many enterprises opted to stay with Windows XP as their standard OS. The initial reasons centered on the additional hardware requirements at the time; later, enterprises were concerned about poor performance and application compatibility.
Although some enterprises didn’t want to “take a chance” on Vista because of the negative publicity, others launched projects to assess their applications and infrastructure. Unfortunately, many decided it was a larger effort than they anticipated or had the IT resources for and stopped their Vista migrations.
“If you made the investment to assess and remediate your applications and upgraded your infrastructure to support Windows Vista, introducing Windows 7 will be relatively easy,” says Jim Cooper, chief technologist of Workplace Services for HP Enterprise Services. “But if you haven’t done either of those things since deploying Windows XP, it is time to do so. Don’t expect applications that are old and not compatible with Windows Vista to suddenly begin working on Windows 7.”
Less effort may be required to assess applications now versus four or five years ago, because suppliers have introduced software versions supported on Windows Vista. Windows 7 is based on the same kernel as Vista, so clients who assessed and/or remediated applications for Vista should be able to move to Windows 7 more easily. HP also recommends that organizations take the opportunity to do some applications “house-cleaning” as they begin to plan on moving to the new OS.
“The typical enterprise has between 1,000 and 1,600 applications,” explains Julie Watkins, Workplace Services product marketing manager for HP Enterprise Services. “Many of these are old and rarely used and many provide duplicate functionality. The purpose of an application assessment is not only to determine compatibility with a new operating system. It is also a time for enterprises to decide which applications support business objectives and which no longer have value. This house-cleaning will not only make the move to Windows 7 more efficient, but will also streamline future migrations to new operating systems.”
The Clock Is Ticking
Whatever your current Windows OS situation, action is critical. According to HP experience migrating client environments, the typical timeframe is 12–18 months. A recent Gartner research report substantiates our claim and stresses that planning is essential for a successful migration: “Most organizations will require 15 to 18 months to prepare for a Windows 7 migration. Although your planned migration may be more than a year away, don’t delay the initiation of the preparation process.” (Source: Gartner, “Prepare for Windows 7 in Three Phases,” October 1, 2009)
Why the urgency? In April 2014, Microsoft will end the extended support period for Windows XP, meaning security patches and support will no longer be available. This raises some serious business continuity and risk avoidance issues. If the average PC life cycle is four years, you need to begin planning for Windows 7 no later than March 2010 to complete the migration before the end of support for Windows XP.
“There is another reason time is so critical,” says Watkins. “On October 22, 2009 (general availability of Windows 7), support costs for Windows XP could increase substantially. Companies will have to consider whether it is more cost-effective to pay higher support costs for XP or to migrate to Windows 7. Our OS migration experience reduces the risk and shaves months off of the time it would take a client’s in-house resources to migrate. Those months translate into dollars saved that the client would have spent on support.”
Streamline Your OS Transformation
HP Enterprise Services is uniquely qualified to help clients decide which version and features of Windows 7 to deploy. As part of TAP, HP had early access to Windows 7. For outsourcing clients, HP and Microsoft engineers have done extensive testing to create a standard Windows 7 image build, which is ready to be deployed. With early adopter implementation, HP has documented optimized processes for migrating outsourcing clients to the new image and managing the environment. Our proven best practices for Windows 7 migrations will be extended to all outsourcing clients.
“The Windows 7 operating system is exactly what enterprises have been looking for—but they may need a partner to help them deploy it,” said Cooper. “HP has done our homework. We have people around the world trained in OS transformation. We have worked closely with Microsoft to ensure we can make this process as simple as possible for our clients. HP can save them time and money.”
More Information
Read more about the HP Windows 7 Readiness Service benefits and steps.
Learn about our full complement of Windows 7 deployment and migration services.