Windows 7 is here.  Microsoft has sold at least 60 million licenses; the revenue from the Operating System component of the company has exceeded expectations.  Microsoft is promoting Windows 7 like it’s their job, wait a minute, it is!  Advertisements have been placed in Fox’s NFL coverage and NBC’s Winter Olympic coverage.  Reviews are positive and people have embraced the new OS offering.  This is a 180 degree turn from Vista. 

All that positive information being stated, now we are left scratching our heads thinking ‘how do we get from point A to point B or from XP to W7’?  Well there is no silver bullet or secret sauce in upgrading an enterprise, but there are clearly 7 straightforward steps for a positive experience in migrating to Windows 7.  Let’s discuss them.

  1. Identification:  What is on the machines?  How do I figure that one out? The simplest way is to install an agent on the endpoints which will identify and report back both the hardware and software inventory.
  2. Audit and Reporting:  Since the endpoints are sending back information on hardware and software inventory, we now need a easily readable report which can be downloaded and reviewed.
  3. Data Backup:  This is actually one of the more important items in planning and execution.  Your data is actually what makes the machine “yours.”  The Word docs, the Excel spreadsheets, graphs, pictures, etc.  The best practice would be to install a backup and recovery service on the machines being upgraded or refreshed.  If people want their data saved and placed on the new machine, instructions should be sent to the end users to store this data in a specific file structure, like MY Documents.  The backup and recovery service will then copy the data automatically.  This data will be used later.
  4. Refreshing the Image: This step can be accomplished in many ways, from a manual installation of the OS from the Windows 7 DVD to the use of an imaging service.  No matter which option is chosen, the best practice should be to include your Backup & Recovery and hardware/software inventory agent in the image to be installed.  This will make your life easier, saving you both time and resources, and helping to provide a better user experience during this invasive procedure.
  5. Data Recovery: Since the Backup & Recovery agent has been included in the image, we can now start the process of recovering the individual’s specific data that they need in order to be productive.  The data recovered will bring the end user a sense of ownership, satisfaction and a WOW factor of “That was easy!”
  6. Software Distribution:  Distribute and install, hopefully in an automated fashion, any software that was not included in the base image install.  The sooner this step is completed, the quicker your people will be productive.
  7. Audit Verification:  After a brief period of time, grab an updated copy of your hardware and software inventory reports.  Spend some time comparing the pre-upgrade report against the post-upgrade report.  If software is missing, go back to step 6 and remediate the situation.   This reconciliation process will give you a firm understanding on the disposition of the upgrade.  You can make sure it was successful and all-inclusive.

I tried to be fairly generic on these steps, as a best practice, but if you need assistance Fiberlink can provide the information and mechanism needed for success with the MaaS360 platform.

Windows 7 Migration Best Practice - Functional Flow