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Windows 7 Early Adopters = Happier Users

July 14, 2010 By

According to a survey by Technologizer.com, early adopters of Windows 7 are a happy lot. That’s a 180 from the Vista mess, and it’s good news for Microsoft, not to mention corporate IT departments.

Eighty-four percent said their switchovers “went off without meaningful hiccups.”

For the survey, which was conducted at the end of last year, more than 550 early adopters were asked about their upgrade processes. Of them, 84 percent said their switchovers “went off without meaningful hiccups.” (Of the users surveyed, 46 percent upgraded from Vista and 32 percent from XP.)

This is significant, writes Technologizer founder Harry McCracken, considering the fact that when XP was rolled out, a PC World study found that more than half of those who upgraded reported installation difficulties.

And then there’s the issue of the actual product and its usability. Windows 7 fares OK there as well. According to the survey, 79 percent of those who upgraded from Vista reported that they are “extremely satisfied” with 7; 61 percent of XP users feel the same.

It’s not all good news, however. Users are having problems with two main issues in Windows 7: missing drivers and application incompatibility – both of which were expected. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Office 2007, Windows 7 Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Migrate the Right Way

May 3, 2010 By

Tech publications are abuzz about Windows 7. One article in particular, written by CIO.com’s Shane O’Neill, offers smart ways to use your migration as an opportunity to increase IT department efficiency.

Look for case studies of companies that have already migrated successfully. Use them as a guide.

Good stuff, all around. If there was one loud-and-clear point in the piece, it was that planning is vital to a successful (and not exorbitantly expensive) migration — no matter the operating system or software suite.

And it happens to be this company’s mantra. We know from experience that, whether it is a small firm switching over a few hundred users from Lotus Notes to Outlook or a Fortune 500 company upgrading to Office 2007 en masse, a successful migration depends largely on preparation.

In addition to the four points mentioned on CIO.com, I’d like to add a few more migration tips for CIOs:

1. Seek out proven migration successes: Look for case studies of companies that have already migrated successfully. Use them as a guide. Read up on Windows 7 trouble spots (that is, where users will likely experience productivity loss. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Windows 7 Tagged With: , ,

Office 2007 and Windows 7 Migrations: Been There, Done (Supported) That

April 26, 2010 By

Migrating to Windows 7 and Office 2007 is a massive undertaking, no matter your company size. Preparation is vital to a successful transition. Using the information and data points we’ve culled from many successful migrations with our mid- to enterprise-size clients, we have organized this collection of best practices and common occurrences:

Most Common Support Calls

Many corporate workers have been using Windows XP for some time now, so a learning curve with Windows 7 is inevitable. Below are some factors that will affect your employees’ productivity with the new operating system:Migration Volume Projection

  • Elimination of the Quick Launch toolbar and the Vista sidebar (if applicable)
  • A new taskbar with icons only
  • Changes to auxiliary apps like Windows Movie Maker and Windows Mail
  • New features like Federated Search, Windows Mobility Center, Aero Peek, Jump Lists

Best Practice – Provide consolidated training on these features before deployment or make sure Windows 7 experts are standing by and are readily available the day of deployment. Downtime is costly.

As for Office 2007, its radically different interface will result in an even steeper learning curve. The design is such a departure that your employees will hit snags just trying to figure out how to perform basic tasks like saving and formatting. Here are some issues that may cause problems: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Office 2007, Windows 7 Tagged With: , ,

Windows 7: What IT and End-Users Need to Know

April 22, 2010 By

With the imminent release of Microsoft’s newest operating system, Windows 7, the tech world is full of chatter about the new OS, the old OS, and that other OS. Windows 7, they say, is more polished and faster. XP, however, is getting its share of good ink; some publications have made the case for why businesses will stick with it.

Two words:
“Loads faster!”

Regardless of which OS you opt for, there is at least one guarantee — that is, that you will face a migration eventually. The more information you have, the better. Here’s our take on 7, from a user’s standpoint, and from IHD’s:

For the Windows 7 User:

What changes will potentially throw off users?
  1. With the elimination of the Quick Launch toolbar, users will have to pin items to the Start Menu or the taskbar. [Read more...]
Filed Under: Windows 7 Tagged With: , , ,
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