With the official public release of Windows 7, IT providers get questioned constantly on the practicality of making the move to this new operating system. Migrating your entire company is never quick and easy.
Being personally been involved in migrating environments from Windows 95 all of the way to up to the current evolution of Microsoft Windows (Windows 7), there has never been a time where it went 100% transitionally smooth. Some of the major aspects of consideration before migrating are:
Cost vs. Value. Companies often have older computers in use. Many times these systems are end of life or out of warranty. It costs money and resources to upgrade each computer. Be careful how much time and money you spend on an older system. Purchasing a computer new with the new operating system may be a smarter investment.
End user training. Many businesses often overlook this soft cost. New operating systems have new look, feel, and functionality. There is a very real cost in getting your staff retrained. Oftentimes this cost is hard to estimate since some users are more tech-savvy than others. For the most part, people do not like change especially on their own computers.
Application compatibility. Software writers like to take their time in making sure they have a version of their product that is compatible with the latest version of the operating system. Just because a new version of Windows is out, does not mean your business applications will function properly. Discuss migration issues with your software vendors before making the switch.
Licensing costs. Be sure to discuss with your IT provider the best ways to purchase your operating systems and licensing as there are many discount programs available.
With appropriate planning in place, a successful operating system migration can be done in as little as a weekend with minor support needed starting Monday morning. If you do not plan properly, you are setting yourself up for business interruptions and down time. Talk to a good computer services firm before taking the dive. Performing upgrades to your operating system is something you cannot put off forever. Use the services of a trusted business IT partner and you will discover potential headaches can be kept to a minimum.
