Windows 7 Ready?

For most organisations, 2011 includes the long awaited Windows 7 OS migration. Be prepared and start now.

Are you wondering where to start? Or have you already begun the journey?

2011 is the year most organisations will make the transition to Windows 7. The benefits of Windows 7 are well documented but executing the change can be a daunting task. The business must go on and thorough planning, intelligent design and faultless execution are the cornerstones to all successful OS migrations. In addition, many opportunities arise during this time of change. Opportunities that will improve daily operations, lower costs and provide visibility and control over your IT environment.

For more than 10 years, Q-Armada has helped organisations make the OS transition with complementary business process services, training and managed service offerings.

No matter where you are in the Windows 7 migration process, Q-Armada can help you from beginning to end, or fill the gaps where skill-set, technology or resourcing may be required. Q-Armada adheres to a step-by-step framework that ensures no opportunity is lost and every challenge is met. Talk to us today and hit 2011 running.

Q-Armada’s 5 Step Migration Process

1. Plan
Planning your Windows 7 migration focuses on the driving factors to migrate and captures all your business requirements before you embark upon the journey. What risks are involved? Who supports the change? What other changes should you include? What migration method will best suit your business - a blanket rollout or by attrition? Q-Armda can help guide you through the planning phase to equip you with the knowledge you need to execute the project successfully.
2. Assess
The assessment phase gathers all the data you need to validate your plan. Systems are analysed and business units are engaged. Understand what hardware needs upgrading or replacing. Verify what software is firstly being used, and secondly what software needs upgrading for compatibility. Discuss software usage with business units to ensure users will not lose critical functionality. Discuss other changes to infrastructure, asset management or support processes. Assess your resourcing, technology or process gaps. Q-Armada specialise in gathering and assessing this critical information.
3. Build &
    Design
Depending on the extent of your planned changes, the Design & Build phase can incorporate many resources and skill-sets. At the very least, a newly designed SOE needs to be flexible and adaptable in order to maintain it effectively in the future. In addition, software packaging and compatibility testing are major components in this phase, ensuring your base image is built upon successfully. Q-Armada are experts in SOE development, deployment and software packaging. In addition, our business process services in asset management and service support enables you to redesign, or implement new processes in support of your new standard operating environment.
4. Execute
Regardless of your chosen deployment method, all methods require enduser acceptance testing and a pilot phase. SOE rollouts require a controlled and phased approach to capture feedback and allow changes prior to a full release. Your new OS, software packages and other SOE components are rolled out in conjunction with the migration processes for enduser settings and data. Other new processes may be introduced such as vendor imaging or better and improved asset management. The execution phase heralds the efforts of all the previous stages and Q-Armada’s experience in this space provides you peace of mind.
5. Steady State
     Management
Once implemented, your standard operating environment requires ongoing maintenance in security (patch management), license and SOE version compliance and when combined, ongoing asset management requirements. Ongoing reimaging, refreshes and hardware replacement programs will continue way beyond the initial SOE rollout. Q-Armada can provide you the tools, processes, resources and reports to maintian a steady state, with no surprises.