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H&D White Paper: Windows 7 Migration

Why migrate to Windows 7 and when?

Migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7

Since its introduction in 2002, Windows XP has established itself on the market as a stable standard. Nonetheless, migration to Windows 7 is unavoidable in the medium term, for reasons which are explained below.

Advantages of Windows 7

Technically speaking, Windows 7 is a major release of Windows Vista. This is evident in a number of ways, for example the fact that it is possible to migrate from Windows Vista to Windows 7 without system re-installation, but not from Windows XP.Microsoft took to heart the criticisms of Windows Vista's high hardware demands and weak performance and made improvements. For this reason, much of what is new in Windows 7 is hidden beneath the interface surface.The number of new features that Microsoft has added to the system is not excessively large. The most important points are summarised in the following table.

Microsoft provides a complete overview here. It seems clear that these features do not in and of themselves justify the time and cost associated with changing an operation system. The real driving force behind migration to Windows 7 lies in the expiry of support for Windows XP.

Windows XP lifecycle and its consequences for a Windows 7 migration strategy

Source of image: own design

There are five fundamental strategies:

1. Sticking with Windows XP
2. Migration to Windows Vista
3. Conversion to an alternative operating system
4. Early migration to Windows 8
5. Migration to Windows 7

The first two alternatives can be dismissed quite quickly.

A desktop infrastructure based on Windows XP will become unstable relatively quickly:

• Known security vulnerabilities in the operating system and in Internet Explorer 6 will not be removed
• New peripheral devices, such as scanners or printers, will not come with suitable drivers
• New releases of existing software components will not be developed with XP compatibility in mind

Migration to Windows Vista brings no cost advantages and significantly lower benefits when compared with Windows 7 migration, and can therefore be ruled out as well. Alternative operating systems to Microsoft Windows do exist, but the great majority of business applications are not capable of running on those systems.

Waiting for Windows 8 and migrating to it early appears a possible option, but we advise against it for two reasons:

The timeframe displayed above has not been officially confirmed by Microsoft. The porting of Windows 8 to ARM processors, announced at CES 2011 in Las Vegas, and the optimisation of the system on tablet PCs could quite possibly delay the timing.

The changes announced for Windows 8 suggest that the operating processes in particular will change greatly. Consequently migration to Windows 8 will require longer lead times. The risks inherent in staying with Windows XP could then well be realised in such cases. We therefore advise against this course of action.

There is thus no feasible alternative to Windows 7 migration.

When to switch over?

Migrating to Windows 7 takes between four months and two years, depending on the complexity of the infrastructure. The length of time is affected by the following factors:

• Suitability of the hardware

• Compatibility of the applications

• Elements of the migration strategy

• Bundling of migration tasks
  • Combination with migration to Office 2010 or Internet Explorer 9
  • Changing of processes in client management
  • Hardware replacement

On the manufacturers' side, all the necessary preconditions exist. Windows 7 is running stably and securely. The RTM (Release To Manufacturing) version of Service Pack 1 is already available in a beta version, with the final release to follow in the near future.

Recommended actions

1. Migration to Windows 7 should be completed by the middle of 2013 at the latest.
2. Your Windows 7 migration strategy and the timeline for your migration should be determined this year.
3. The SMART Windows 7 Migration Check makes it possible to quickly achieve high planning reliability.

Migrating from Windows Vista to Windows 7

The situation is significantly different for those who have already migrated to Windows Vista:

• Migration costs from Windows Vista to Windows 7 are significantly lower than from Windows XP to Windows 7
• Windows Vista will be supported by Microsoft for a sufficiently long time
• As Windows 7 is a major release of Windows Vista, the drivers and applications are compatible to a large extent

Therefore you have significantly more options here:

• Migration to Windows 7
• Skip Windows 7 and migrate to Windows 8
• Fundamental change of operating system

There is no urgent need to act before the end of 2012 in this case. Between now and then, the technology will undergo further development, especially in terms of tablet PCs, browser-based operating systems and virtualisation, and that will make additional options available.

SMART Windows 7 migration model

The H&D SMART model: a modular approach for processes such as migration to Windows 7

Many migration and implementation projects fail because of inflexible project management. Often the work packages, for example, are too large and opaque. Despite the project budget being exceeded, there is often no detectable benefit.

Why is H&D smarter? What does H&D do that the others don't do?

The basis of the H&D SMART model is an H&D SMART Check. Our specialists assess your readiness on the levels of staff, processes, technology, partners and management. We use the readiness assessment to define what you can expect to gain, and make recommendations for service modules in your intended project.

The advantages of our model:

• Independently planned service modules
• Defined return on investment
• Financial planning reliability
• "Quick wins"
• Agile project management
• Project control
• Transparency

H&D SMART Office 2010/Windows 7 Migration: what we offer

The services we offer to you will be selected on the basis of the H&D SMART Migration Check.

Possible services:

• Infrastructure assessment
• Risk assessment
• Hardware and software assessment
• Project direction
• Project marketing
• Licensing check
• Application Compatibility Check (ACF)
• Business process compatibility
• Selection of migration tools
• Development/optimisation of client design process
• Development/optimisation of client deployment process
• Document migration check
• Development and rollout of the pilot client
• Development and rollout of the standard client
• Providing your staff with the necessary skills through customised, target-group-oriented training

64-bit or 32-bit?

All enterprise-relevant versions of Windows 7 are available in both a 32-bit version and a 64-bit version. One of the basic questions to be answered when migrating to Windows 7 is: which system should you migrate to?

Statistics indicate that a clear majority of Windows 7 installations in the world use the 64-bit version. However, that is mainly due to the fact that it is overwhelmingly the 64-bit version of the operating system which is pre-installed by the OEMs in terminals for the consumer market.

Clearly, the disadvantages stated above include a few genuine show stoppers.

We recommend the following procedure to select the optimum Windows version:

1. Analysis in advance of Windows 7 migration. With our SMART Windows 7 Application Compatibility Check (ACF), H&D offers a reliable way of identifying possible compatibility problems in advance. Simple solutions already exist for many issues.
2. If the incompatibilities cannot be resolved even with the use of application virtualisation, or that method is ruled out for other reasons, the only option remaining is to migrate to the 32-bit version of Windows 7.
3. In all other cases, Windows 7 in the 64-bit version is the better choice.

Windows 7 and Office 2010: migrate at the same time or not?

As in the past, Microsoft has once again published an Office version in conjunction with the new Windows operating system, in this instance Office 2010.

The impetus to migrate to both Windows 7 and Office 2010 at the same time comes from the potential use of synergies in the design of the new workspace. On the other hand, the migration of the Office package can become a complicated project fraught with risks, especially in cases where there is a high element of customising and intensive integration into operating processes.

Migration complexity is driven by:

• The lack of backward and forward compatibility of the products. In other words, old documents (including Access databases and VBA macros) are not always compatible with the new versions, and the use of new documents with old products does not always work in all cases either. In some circumstances, this can have a considerable effect on the planned migration procedures.
• The use of third party products, such as DMS systems, SharePoint applications.

Microsoft provides a variety of tools which can be used to estimate the work required for an Office 2010 migration:

• Office Migration Planning Manager (OMPM)
• Office Code Compatibility Inspector (OCCI)
• Office Environment Assessment Tool (OEAT)

Nevertheless, these tools do not identify all the possible pitfalls, so it is strongly recommended to seek the assistance of experts with migration experience. The suitable migration strategy is derived directly from the assessment carried out in advance.

Our recommendations:

• If the planned migration is of low or medium complexity, migration of the Office package should take place together with that of the operating system.
  If the planned migration is of high complexity, the Office migration should take place before the operating system migration.

Key factors for successful Windows 7 migration

1.       Aim for sustainability

End-user computing is more than an operating system, and therefore any discussion of Windows 7 migration must form an integral part of an integrated desktop/end-user computing strategy, one which is also designed to retain its validity for the long term.

The following are important elements of such a strategy:

• Balance between the requirements of the users and departments and those of IT
• Exploitation of cost and quality potential through centralisation, standardisation and automation
• Long-term viability
• Coherence with foreseeable technological and organisational developments

2.       Consider the entire environment

Windows 7 migration means more than simply replacing an operating system. The following elements are relevant in the context of migrating the operating system:

• Migration of data and configuration
  • Data security
  • Indexing and search
  • Roaming
• Applications
  • Compatibility
  • Access (necessary user rights and application rights)
  • Current and future IT architecture development plans
• Operating system
  • Migration strategy
  • Client design
  • Operating strategy, e.g. roaming/mobility
• Hardware
  • Consolidation of device diversity
  • Hardware lifecycle management

3.       Use professional project management

It is important to treat your Windows 7 migration as an organisational change project, requiring:

• Professional project organisation
• Involvement of affected parties
• Standardised, stable processes
• Setting of an adequate timeframe, also for piloting and testing
• Focus on processes, organisation and communication, not solely on technologies

4.        Pilot the processes and technologies

Often, only the affected technologies are piloted. However, for well-functioning end-user computing, it is important that the associated support processes function smoothly as well.

5.       Plan for "growing pains" and backlogs

Despite careful planning, it is not possible to account for all migration eventualities in advance. It is therefore advantageous to incorporate the resulting backlogs into your initial planning. When migrating to Windows 7, various different units of the organisation must work together. It takes time for that interaction to perform at its full potential.

6.       Measure progress and successes continuously

Continuous measurement of migration progress helps to identify problems in time as they arise and makes a vital contribution to transparency.

Ensuring application compatibility following Windows 7 migration

A lack of application compatibility is one of the biggest stumbling blocks on the path to Windows 7 migration.

Establishing application compatibility

The reasons for the incompatibility of existing applications with Windows 7 are many and varied. Changes in the registry structures, changes in the directory structure and changes in the authorisation structure are just a few of the possible causes.

Some compatibility problems, such as the support of old HLP files, can be solved in simple ways; others, such as the incompatibility of different versions of Internet Explorer or 16-bit programs require considerably more work.

Microsoft supplies a number of tools for the migration of applications to Windows 7. The most important one is the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.6 (ACT).

It contains components for testing applications and analysing the causes of incompatibilities, such as the Standard User Analyser (SUA) or the Microsoft Application Verifier.

Problem areas identified in this way can then be resolved using workarounds developed with the aid of “compatibility fixes” or “shims”. These can then be integrated into the standard Windows client.

Virtualising applications

If these tools are not enough, there is also a range of other, commercially available products on the market, such as the AOK products from ChangeBase.

In the event that application compatibility cannot be established in this way, virtualisation solutions offer a practical alternative. However, as these solutions depend on the presence of a network connection, they are less suitable for mobile users.

The simplest option is to make use of Microsoft Terminal Services. Disadvantages of this solution, however, include continued restriction of application compatibility and restricted management functionality.

The second alternative is application virtualisation, with suitable solutions available from VMware, Microsoft and Citrix. Application virtualisation involves uncoupling the application from the operating system. All interaction of the application with the operating system is intercepted and processed in a sandbox. Additional licence costs apply when this solution is used. Moreover, the parallel virtualisation of many incompatible applications can considerably increase operating expenses.

The third option is to provide the user with a virtual XP desktop in addition to the Windows 7 desktop. Here too solutions are available from VMware, Microsoft and Citrix, among others. This solution likewise has the disadvantage of additional licence costs and complex management.

Integrating IE6 into Windows 7

One of the major stumbling blocks on the path to Windows 7 is the incompatibility between Internet Explorer 6 as used with XP, and its successors. When Microsoft developed IE6, it used non-standard technologies in order to provide greater functionality. As the current Internet Explorer 8 is more closely based on standards, however, all applications which use the special functions of IE6 are no longer compatible with it.

The obvious option, namely to migrate applications, is of course possible. However it may turn out to be very difficult in some cases. A great problem is posed by applications which are not being developed further by their producers. In such cases, the only option remaining is to make both IE6 and IE8 available at the same time.

As parallel installation is fundamentally impossible, the virtualisation options discussed above are the obvious alternative. However, each of these options has a drawback:

Which of the alternative solutions outlined here is most suitable can only be determined on a case-by-case basis.