1. Introduction
The following whitepaper, prepared by IDC , Why Sticking with Windows XP is a Bad Idea, takes a
deep look at the operational cost of Windows XP at large organizations and compares and
contrasts those costs against operation costs associated with Windows 7. What this whitepaper
does not mention is that, along with Windows XP, Microsoft is also ending support for Office 2003.
The termination of support on April 8, 2014, for Windows XP and Office 2003, is looming large for
many enterprise organizations, and this deadline has motivated many customers to accelerate their
migration activities - both for Windows and Office. An enterprise-wide desktop migration is a
serious undertaking and one which requires planning.
Total Desktop Deployment: How Do I Get There?
If your enterprise is planning a total desktop migration or is in the beginning stages of deployment,
you are most likely concerned about keeping the project on time and on budget while minimizing
the inherent risks, such as file and application incompatibilities.
Our first bit of advice is that you should choose the deployment approach that best fits your
business environment. Organizations may choose between a big bang– all departments at the
same time, departmental or a phased rollout approach. It all gets down to understanding how
your organization functions, what the level of deployment is and what are the right tools and
methods to use. Keep in mind that your objective should be to stay on time, on budget, with
minimal impact on your users.
There are five critical steps for organizations upgrading that can ensure the success of the
deployment process:
1. Plan and discover your environment
At this stage, organizations discover and quantify their file and application landscape through
automated tools, manual inventory methods or some combination thereof. This way, you will begin
to understand the scale of the project, along with identifying areas of potential risks that may affect
your deployment strategy.
ConverterTechnology 1 Tara Blvd., Ste.301 Nashua, NH 03062 T 800-541-7409 F 603-882-8884 http://www.convertertechnology.com
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2. 2. Scope your project
Do you know which files that are going to be problematic and impact your deployment project
timeline and cost? Organizations need to define the quantity of files and applications that require
testing and remediation by applying certain filtering criteria such as last used date, frequency of use
or allow end user nomination. This process will also help validate assumptions made in the first
planning phase. If necessary, this is when organizations can start requesting new funding due to
scope changes for the deployment. It is also the best moment to “do housekeeping” and remove
the old archived files and rationalize applications that nobody uses anymore, further reducing costs
and time.
3. Convert and migrate
At the conversion and migration stage, the vast majority of files and applications can be converted
in a bulk fashion. However, the business critical and other at-risk files and applications are
promoted to help desk or central service for remediation. This can be a time consuming process
getting the files and applications migrated and ready to go to user acceptance training, but
automated tools can significantly speed up this process saving time and cost.
4. Test
Often overlooked and under-appreciated, testing is a strategic step to making sure that critical
applications and files are working properly, as intended. Organizations are advised to go through
methodical end user acceptance training with a representative sample set, in order to try to head
off any final problems as best they can.
5. Roll out
The roll out or converting to production stage means that all departments in the organization have
successfully moved to the new platform, and desktops are converted in full production mode. At
this stage, users can still address broken file links, out of scope files and other post-roll out issues.
Automated Desktop Conversions with ConverterTechnology
Through a partnership with Quest Software Inc., now a part of Dell, customers undertaking full
desktop upgrades can expand ConverterTechnology’s file conversion capabilities with greater risk
mitigation that includes compatibility assessments of applications across desktop, server, virtual,
and web application estates. Customers can automate application testing and remediation,
application packaging, and application virtualization conversion to accelerate readiness by finding
and fixing compatibility issues in minutes.
ConverterTechnology 1 Tara Blvd., Ste.301 Nashua, NH 03062 T 800-541-7409 F 603-882-8884 http://www.convertertechnology.com
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3. Together, ConverterTechnology and Quest automate many of the labor-intensive application and file
discovery, testing and conversion functions associated with large-scale migrations, so the process
will occur more quickly and with a higher level of reliability and accuracy. By quickly identifying files
and applications requiring testing and remediation, ConverterTechnology’s solutions can find and
fix problems– saving time and money.
With the addition of solutions from Quest, ConverterTechnology customers gain the added benefit
of an experienced implementation partner, while helping them move seamlessly to newer versions
of Windows and Office. If your organization is getting ready for a migration contact us. We’ll help
minimize the risk and accelerate the deployment.
About ConverterTechnology
ConverterTechnology helps enterprises upgrade to new versions of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office without the
risks, costs, productivity loss, and headaches that typically arise from enterprise deployments. By delivering automated
software that streamlines migrations along with the expertise to plan, execute, and report on successful enterprise migra-
tions, ConverterTechnology helps companies accelerate their time to productivity with the Microsoft platform. Con-
verterTechnology is headquartered in Nashua, N.H., with offices in Europe and Australia, and is a wholly-owned subsidi-
ary of CPS Group Investments Pty Ltd.
ConverterTechnology 1 Tara Blvd., Ste.301 Nashua, NH 03062 T 800-541-7409 F 603-882-8884 http://www.convertertechnology.com
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4. WHITE P APER
Mitigating Risk: Why Sticking with Windows XP Is a Bad
Idea
Sponsored by: Microsoft Corporation
Al Gillen Randy Perry
Nancy Selig
May 2012
www.idc.com
IDC OPINION
The termination of extended support for Windows XP SP3, which will happen on
April 8, 2014, is looming large for many enterprise organizations, and this deadline
has motivated many customers to accelerate their migration activities. However, for
F.508.935.4015
some segments of the industry, significantly less effort is being applied to formal
migration initiatives, and Windows XP continues to be perceived as a solution that
works sufficiently for existing needs, whether it is supported or not.
Microsoft has rightfully advocated the standardization of client operating system
(OS) deployments, allowing a more consistent approach to systems and
P.508.872.8200
application management as well as settings and configurations management.
This allows support staff to coalesce its expertise around a single product.
Because of the lengthy life cycle of Windows XP, customers have enjoyed an
unprecedented level of client OS standardization.
Global Headquarters: 5 Speen Street Framingham, MA 01701 USA
Windows XP is two generations behind Microsoft's current product technology
and, in the near future, will be three full generations behind. Combined with the
approaching end of extended support for Windows XP SP3, many customers are
placing themselves at risk if they continue to use Windows XP.
Costs can soar with older PCs and older operating systems. This study found
that for five-year-old PCs running Windows XP, user productivity costs per PC
per year nearly doubled from $177 in year two to $324 in year five, while IT labor
costs per PC per year jumped from $451 in year two to $766 in year five. These
higher costs were caused by a variety of problems, not all directly attributable to
the operating system, but common in older solutions that required IT labor and
help desk support activities. User productivity costs were driven up by higher
levels of downtime caused by security woes, time wasted waiting for help desk
response, and time spent rebooting systems.
IDC's analysis shows that supporting older Windows XP installations, compared
with a modern Windows 7–based solution, saddles organizations with a
dramatically higher cost. Annual cost per PC per year for Windows XP is $870,
while a comparable Windows 7 installation costs $168 per PC per year. That is
an incremental $701 per PC per year for IT and end-user labor costs.
The conclusion is simple: Organizations that continue to retain a Windows XP
environment not only are leaving themselves exposed to security risks and
support challenges but also are wasting budget dollars that would be better used
in modernizing their IT investments.