Migrating to Windows 10 - Facing up to the Challenge as an SME!
Nobody likes to be left open and exposed particularly if it ends up affecting your business and livelihood, so why would you take the risk of staying on an unsupported operating system, leaving your business open to all kinds of attacks as Microsoft withdraws its support for that OS?
What if you are not a large organisation?
But if you are a smaller organisation, perhaps one with out access to project level, transitional IT skills within your organisation what are the choices to enable you to mitigate the risk and ensure your business stays protected?
What is the risk?
To be clear on the risk, no support from Microsoft for Windows 7 (after 14th Jan 2020) probably means no more security patches will be released, leaving you exposed and unable to close the loopholes and back doors that hackers and cyber criminals love to target. Not just that but no support means that if your machine should fail, or if core functionality no longer works then you could be left with a system that is no use to you or worse is unable to carry out a critical role or task that your business relies on.
Well let me start by saying that regardless of your size business, there is a solution for you that will not cost the earth and will give the choices as to how to move forward onto a new secure Windows 10 platform for your business, in a controlled fashion.
What are the Choices?
The first question that needs to be asked is "Do I need to replace my Hardware?"
Windows 10, much like Windows 7 when it was introduced has a minimum level of hardware that will support and operate the new operating system. The basic criteria is pretty much as follows:
- Processor 1Ghz or Faster
- 2GB Ram Memory
- 20GB Free Hard Disk Space
If the answer to the question is "yes" then it is worth considering a hardware refresh approach.
Hardware Refresh
If you have a high percentage of machines that will not support Windows 10 then it may be worth arranging to replace those machines, maybe negotiating a good deal with a supplier or the manufacturer direct and bear in mind that if you have any questions over whether or not you actually already own Windows 10 licenses, then this approach, also getting the manufacturer to ship a Windows 10 license with the machine may save you vital cash in the long run.
Bear in mind with a hardware refresh approach, you will need to ensure that you are able to backup and migrate all of your user data to their new devices, which will involve a few hours work per user, however, you will have the advantage of testing the new machine, making sure the data is all there before disposing of your old device.
You may also want to take into account the version of office that you are using as if you are on an older version Microsoft have stated that it may not be compatible with Windows 10.
You may also want to include adding Encryption to your new devices, making sure that they are secure and you do not fall foul of GDPR if any devices are lost or go missing.
Re-image - Rebuild your Devices?
If your hardware is able to run Windows 10 then it may be appropriate to rebuild or re-image your devices top provide them with a new Windows 10 OS?
As with the replacement hardware approach above, you will still have the same challenge of making sure your enduser data is backed up and transferred. However, unlike the replacement hardware approach you do not get the chance to check that all the data is secure after rebuilding.
To rebuild or re-image a device, typically the device is booted to a network, from where it then gets its new OS and applications loaded, typically formatting and rebuilding the hardware from scratch. If you plan to implement a standard image after the rollout then having re-imaging technology to use after the project can further lower your costs, as the approach to support becomes more about rebuilding and refreshing than trying to fix individual issues. You will also need to make sure that you have valid licenses for your new OS and also check that your applications are compatible.
This approach has advantages that you can standardise the installation of Windows 10, making the build more corporate and also setting the start menu and wallpaper to a standard layout as part of the build. Encryption can typically also be included in this approach.
In Place Upgrade?
the final option is to carry out an in place upgrade of the operating system, potentially driven from a set of installations scripts run individually on each machine. Unlike other options suggested above, this approach tends to leave in place all applications and data and is typically a lower risk approach to the project.
Yes you will still have to check for application compatibility and you also need to be aware that to carry out the upgrade you will need 40-50GB of free disk space, as the process involves completely copy the existing installation to a local backup.
You are also able to customise your new Windows 10 look and feel, much as you can with an image or installation using scripts to standardise the menus and wallpaper and enable encryption as part of the customisation.
Tools or no Tools?
Indigo Mountain are in a unique position as we have been able to pre-build a lot of the routines that are required to carry out all of the above styles of project. Not only that, but we can also introduce Enterprise level system management tools, if required, to help gather the pre-project data, deliver the project and then remove the tool once the project is completed, leaving no footprints behind.
Alternatively we are also fully capable of carrying out all of the above using just Microsoft standard tools!
We price our projects on a "Per-Device" basis, which means our solutions will scale from a company with 10 machines up to a company with 1000's of machines.
We think that is only right and fair as a small businesses deserve to get the best, as well right?
To find out how we work, and how we can take away the worry of Windows 10 for your organisation contact us:
www.indigomountain.co.uk
00 (44) 1733-530503