Many companies are still holding on to Windows 7 despite the end of support. Understandable, because organizational hurdles, lack of resources, or lack of compatibility of key applications often stand in the way of migrating to Windows 10. But the longer companies wait, the more expensive it gets. An efficient and relatively inexpensive solution is migration via a peer-to-peer architecture.<\/p>\n
On 14. January 2020 was the deadline: after ten years, Microsoft discontinued technical support and software updates for Windows 7. There is a way out for companies that use volume licenses, they can extend the support by three years, but not exactly at a bargain price – which was to be expected. But despite the long-known end of support and the looming security risks, Windows 7 still has a market share of just under 30 percent.<\/p>\n
Technically, the migration to Windows 10 is not too complex. The challenge especially for mid-sized companies with up to 10.000 users usually lies in governance, and the questions are numerous: How should the migration be approached logistically? If started with one site, with one department? How to communicate with employees? In addition, there is a lack of budget and capacity in IT departments and potential issues with incompatible applications that may not run smoothly after a migration to Windows 10 and negatively impact business processes.<\/p>\n
Given these challenges, migration to Windows 10 requires good planning and lead time. It is definitely too late for this after the end of support for Windows 7. Many companies have missed the opportunity for a smooth migration with parallel hardware replacement. The later the upgrade, the more expensive it can become and the greater the pressure to succeed. If a company does not migrate to Windows 10, for example, applications such as the ERP system may no longer be compatible after an update – that would then be the super-GAU.<\/p>\n
A high level of knowledge and capacity is needed for the migration itself. Companies need software tools, technical resources such as sufficient network bandwidth, solution architects and project managers. Management must also be involved. An external IT service provider therefore often provides support during migration.<\/p>\n
For software distribution of Windows 10 itself, platforms based on a peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture are often better suited than just traditional system management tools like Microsoft SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager) or Intune. P2P allows upgrades or patches to be distributed faster and more cost-effectively from a single server, using the existing SCCM installation.<\/p>\n
This makes the numerous distribution points (PXE Preboot Execution Environment) required in Microsoft environments obsolete. To set up a virtual SAN, the P2P solution uses the free storage capacities of Windows clients and uses the clients as "quasi-PXE servers". This means no additional infrastructure resources are needed, or rather the existing infrastructure can be reduced or put to other uses.<\/p>\n
Together with a proven implementation plan including risk assessment, the chances of success for a smooth migration increase significantly. As a blueprint, the plan covers the entire project cycle of the migration to Windows 10 – from planning, proof of concept (POC), testing and validation of the configuration, software distribution to production and reporting.<\/p>\n
But even good technical planning, tested applications or a high-performance network do not guarantee a smooth migration. Errors in communication with users, governance, or even lack of business unit involvement can cause delays or problems. It is therefore important to get all users on board right from the start, for example through internal marketing measures that prepare for the migration and increase acceptance among employees.<\/p>\n
There are definitely technical issues that can cause an upgrade to Windows 10 to fail. Administrators should therefore consider the following points:<\/p>\n
A P2P solution offers many features, configuration options and security checks, as well as a high degree of automation. The problem: For this powerful P2P software distribution to really show its advantages over a classic server environment, administrators must have sufficient know-how for configuration and implementation. There is therefore a high need for training.<\/p>\n
Another challenge is the network topology. A P2P solution must map this precisely in order to optimally control and exploit the data flows and the bandwidth available in each case. If this can be achieved, P2P ensures fast, efficient migration at low cost.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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