IT Expert Voice

It’s relatively easy to keep track of physical things. When you buy a computer, monitor, or printer, you have an object that can be labeled and counted.

Software, on the other hand, is more of a challenge. It’s just bits on a hard drive, and without strict controls, it can be hard to keep count of how many copies of a given program are actually installed, and which versions are in use. Especially when, as often happens in an enterprise, the installation media has been copied to a network share for easy deployment.

That can lead to under-licensing, and under-licensing can be a very expensive proposition indeed. READ MORE

For organizations waffling about migrating to Windows 7, especially those still running Windows XP, the clock is ticking.

According to analysts at Gartner, it takes 12–18 months to prep for a client operating system change. That’s a year to a year and a half of application testing, dealing with issues the tests reveal, and overall planning. Then there’s the actual migration which, as administrators know only too well, can take a significant chunk of time in itself.

Plus, since support for Windows Vista RTM (the original release with no service packs applied) has ceased, Windows XP SP2 support will stop in July 2010, and even extended support for Windows XP SP3 will end in April of 2014, the experts agree that the time to move is sooner rather than later.

Mark Tauschek, research director at Info-Tech Research, thinks that Windows XP shops are most at risk. For organizations running Windows Vista (admittedly, he says, a very small percentage) with Service Pack 2, there’s no pressing need to move, and a Windows 7 upgrade could get expensive for them unless they have Enterprise Agreements or Software Assurance that allow them to upgrade for free. However, he says, for Windows XP shops, “While formal end of life (for XP) is April 2014, by 2012 they will run into situations where they can’t find drivers or application updates. They have to think about migrating to Windows 7.” READ MORE

Switching operating systems can be an adventure at the best of times. Hardware requirements, user training, and training of support staff are usually top-of-mind during planning. Switching to Windows 7 from Windows XP introduces still more twists, including a new license activation process and new decisions for administrators. READ MORE

Do user interface changes have your users just a little bewildered? Here are five cool Windows 7 Taskbar features that can help technical support professionals put smiles back on their users’ faces. READ MORE

Microsoft has extended group policies, enhanced the management console, and connected both to Windows PowerShell. Learn how these changes can make life easier for network administrators. READ MORE

Windows 7 has many features to help mobile users make the best use of local resources without compromising corporate information. We’ll show you how to take advantage of a few stellar features for users on-the-go.
READ MORE