Windows 7: The five things you need to be thinking about now

Even if you aren't planning to migrate just yet...

By Jo Best

Published: 15 October 2009 14:47 BST

With the launch of Windows 7 just a week away, many businesses will already be thinking of how to shift their PC estate to the new OS.
According to analyst house Gartner, there are a number of issues companies should already be considering ahead of any planned switch - including the need to put an end to Windows XP.

The looming end of support for Windows XP will be the spur for many businesses to adopt Microsoft's latest OS, Gartner distinguished analyst Michael Silver said.

More:
http://software.silicon.com/os/0,39024651,39579964,00.htm

Five steps before moving to Windows 7


By Liau Yun Qing ZDNet Asia
Posted on ZDNet News: Oct 16, 2009 4:06:15 AM

It is "nearly inevitable" that businesses will migrate to Microsoft's upcoming operating system Windows 7 and they must examine some key issues before making the move, advised Gartner.

In an advisory released Friday, the research firm outlined five key areas companies should evaluate to prepare their migration to the new OS when it is officially launched Oct. 22.

1. Plan to be off Windows XP before end-2012.
Enterprises that had skipped Vista should plan to be leave Win XP by the end of 2012. According to Gartner, while Microsoft will support Win XP with security fixes until April 2014, past experience has shown that independent software vendors (ISVs) will stop testing their apps much earlier. In fact, ISVs will start limiting their support for Win XP after 2011.

"New releases of critical business software will require Windows 7 long before Microsoft support for Win XP ends," Steve Kleynhans, research vice president at Gartner, said in the report. "Organizations that get all of their users off Win XP by the end of 2012 will avoid significant potential problems."

More information:
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-353281.html