Windows 7: One Year Later, Symantec Details Migration Methods

Symantec recently analyzed Windows 7 migration practices and came up with some interesting figures for do’s, don’t’s and what to watch out for. You could read their corporate blog for details — or you can stay right here for the quick and dirty details. Take a look.

Symantec’s survey findings sometimes state the obvious, pointing to “preparation” as a top priority. for successful Windows 7 deployments. Spending at least 10 hours in preparation for an upgrade, which entailed planning and training, was “helpful” to 80% of respondents. Continuing the “common sense theme,” many IT managers say it was important to save user files, documents and networked drive links before a migration.

What’s more, 71% of survey respondents say they abandoned legacy applications for new applications. That seems odd since Windows 7 has Windows XP Compatibility Mode to users run legacy apps.

The good news: 90% of companies that set return-on-investment goals achieved their targets, and 78% of respondents say the migration process was “smooth.”

But back to the basics of preparation: IT managers who spent 20 hours prep before the move saw at least 60% of users happy, while those who spend less than 9 hours of prep time only saw 25% of “extremely satisfied” users.

What’s that old saying: Measure twice, cut once? In this case, proper planning seems to be paying off.

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