Application compatibility and readiness for Windows 7
Why knowing Windows 7 application compatibility is not enough
You have probably read articles about how application compatibility is the be all and end all for your Windows 7 migration. Well, to a certain extent it’s true. Application compatibility is a critical factor. But don’t get drawn in. It’s not the only factor.
Understanding application compatibility is a just the first step in deciding which applications to migrate first in your rollout plan. You may have already invested in automated tools to report on this area from Juriba partners ChangeBase, AppDNA and Microsoft. You may even have a report telling you which applications have red, amber or green status for Windows 7. Now what?
You know that it is pointless migrating compatible applications if that doesn’t give you any or few green users for migration. They might be the easy applications to convert, but that doesn’t mean you should migrate them first.
What might be more useful to understand is the organisational impact of those applications, combined with the impact of the current hardware compatibility in relation to your project. This is the capability you can get from Dashworks.
Understanding and assessing applications for Windows migration
With Dashworks, you are enabling your organisation to understand the complete compatibility picture.
- Which users are ready to go based on your compatibility information?
- What happens if you turn this application green for compatibility?
- What happens if you support this extra model of laptop with your build image?
- Which applications are having the greatest organisational impact on your project?
Windows 7 application rationalisation with Dashworks
Do you know how many of your applications should already work on Windows 7? How many need an upgrade or maybe even a complete re-write? How much of your PC estate is compatible? How many of your users are compatible?
These are just some of the questions asked by every Windows 7 project manager during the initial project scoping effort. You crave organisational data visibility. You want to understand the complex mix of user/computer application entitlements, application installs and PC ownership. You want to apply your own organisational rules to model and create your Windows 7 project plan.
This is the scenario that Dashworks helps to solve. It’s purpose-built to help you model and plan your Windows 7 rollout fast.
Benefits for Windows 7 compatibility
Better project decisions
Knowing which users, computers, applications, departments and locations are in the best state for compatibility can help get your deployment plan developed fast.
Modelling changes against your compatibility rules is a breeze and can help you identify the significant wins. You want to know where to focus your efforts? Let Dashworks guide you.
Faster business alignment
Your program managers want to engage the business as early as possible to help plan your Windows 7 project rollout. How can you do this effectively?
They want information, and lots of it. With Dashworks, your business engagement process is as simple as a login to the software. Planning views by department and location speeds the process, putting the lifeblood of the project into the hands of those that can help make it happen.
Compatibility change management
Your end user desktop estate is subject to constant change. New applications and entitlements, joiners, leavers, hardware break/fix swaps, PC refreshes. These are just some of the items that can make your organisational Windows 7 compatibility vastly different from one week to the next.
Managing the impact of this change can be a significant challenge. With Dashworks dynamically refreshed information, this challenge simply disappears.
