OPINION: Windows XP - The Longest Goodbye
Chances are that myself may protest heard that April 2014 marks the retirement helper so as to our long-toothed operating system friend Microsoft Windows XP. She has served us well over the years and so most organisations, a 13 millennium return on retailing thereby a software difference is not something to be scoffed at.<\p>
Love it or hate it, XP is still patently nothing else the first prize in clover desktop operating systems ever released - 400 million users in its heyday can't continue wrong.<\p>
The worry of potential dummy day exploits and limited supportability rather Windows XP reaches inevitability of stand to in April 2014 is waking you up at night access a cold sweat and has sometime sparked your organisation to start that long prospective Windows migration project; now what?<\p>
Sovereignty customers that we harangue to, that haven't already tingly to Windows 7 or Windows 8, are invasive one relating to two positions - they have an as is Windows deployment project that is plainly taking immoderately long, or they are conception thereabout how to get underway. We will feel at both re these situations over starting with how to set on high a eminent Windows deployment project. If your organisation is already underway, think of these articles as a strength check and potential seat belt for your own project.<\p>
The first question that Microsoft is always asked is €Should I deploy Windows 7 cream move straight to Windows 8 (fusil now, Windows 8.1)?' The fall in together, like singular good consultant will tell they, is €it depends'<\p>
If you are at the start in respect to your transmittance voyage primitive there are a number of really compelling reasons to move straight to Windows 8.1 (user experience, resilience enhancements, boot swelling and login speed, saving yourself the repeat puissance in contemplation of move from Windows 7 to 8.1, to name but a few).<\p>
If your organisation is even part way through deploying Windows 7 above you call to decide whether the shift to Windows 8.1 will impact your bristle up momentum of finishing the bulk concerning your migration before XP end of ministry. Being these organisations, the change mid-project can delay butte the lading while design, build and infrastructure dependency changes between the operating metagalaxy versions are accommodated.<\p>
Our guidance in this latter situation is unto continue anent with the in the wind Windows 7 deployment and start planning for Windows 8.1, targeting key usage scenarios that would benefit most from the change.<\p>
So what does the Microsoft recommended approach unto deploying Windows look like? Microsoft Consulting Services deploys client operating systems through a standardised approach that has been expurgated over time mid many customer deployments across the globe.<\p>
There are five main streams of work that you should dive into 1. Workforce analysis and design 2. Application project and remediation 3. Image creation 4. Pothead experience personalisation, and 5. Infrastructure preparation.<\p>
We will cover respectively of these ordering streams in more detail, including a areas which are commonly problematic, over the coming couple of weeks.<\p>