Almost Half of Organisations Planning Win 7 Migrations in 2011 are Concerned about User Profile Migr

Added: (Wed May 18 2011)

Pressbox (Press Release) - 57 Percent of Survey Respondents will Migrate to Win 7 in 2011, Dynamic Desktop Technologies are Well Positioned to Help Tackle the Migration Process

Frimley, UK – 18th May 2011 – RES Software, a leader in dynamic desktop solutions, today announced the results of a global survey that found more than 50 percent of organisations plan to migrate to Windows 7 in 2011. While this move is foreseeable given the 2014 cutoff date for Windows XP support, the survey found many companies are still struggling with the profile management issues that arise during a migration of this magnitude. This underscores the need for a solution that will help simplify, automate and improve the overall management of the user profile. Further, as migrations of this nature are inevitable across the IT lifecycle, solutions that can withstand the test of time, and ensure seamless user experiences during migrations are critical for organisations.

An RES Software-commissioned research report issued by technology-focused publisher TechTarget polled IT professionals on their experiences, expectations and concerns over Windows 7 migrations. The results reflect the responses of more than 1,500 IT professionals worldwide across a variety of industries. Major research findings include:

• 57 percent of the respondents intend to have an organisational-wide rollout of Windows 7 by October 2011.
• 65 percent have purchased Windows 7 licenses, 48 percent said they either have begun the implementation process or will in the near future.
• 45 percent said difficulty migrating user profiles from one OS to the next is a major issue, while 43 percent stated knowing what permissions and applications need to be migrated is most difficult.
• 43 percent of respondents have serious concerns that they lack the proper tools to automate or aid in the process of operating system migration.

While these results point to an increase in Windows 7 migrations on the whole, the statistics also indicate most companies are worried about the impact this migration will have on users. These concerns are valid given the mass quantity of PCs most organisations will need to update before support is cut off for Windows XP in 2014. In fact, Gartner Inc. has predicted about 250 million PCs in mid-sized and large enterprises will be migrated from XP to Windows 7 by that time. So what can businesses do to ensure a successful migration process without impacting end-user profiles and performance?

Solutions such as RES Dynamic Desktop Studio can help mitigate the issues that arise during OS migrations. Dynamic Desktop Studio consists of two solutions, RES Workspace Manager and RES Automation Manager. Workspace Manager separates the user experience from the OS and centralises management of all personalised settings attached to that user. As a result, the user experience will remain persistent in the new operating system, eliminating much of the manual time traditionally associated with the manual migration of these settings. RES Automation Manager provides task automation and resource provisioning for Microsoft Windows environments. It also includes a layer of service orchestration that increases the efficiency, flexibility and scalability of automation and provisioning functions. As a result, there is a decrease in the amount of time, money and complexity involved for IT to deliver services to end users in their new Windows environment.

“This study reaffirms the fears we are hearing from customers. The move to Windows 7 is inevitable, but how successful these migrations will be remains the key variable for many organisations,” said Bill Corrigan, CMO of RES Software. “It is important that IT realises that our solutions help minimise the impact on their user base, save them time and more importantly, prepare the environment for futures changes of this nature.”


Click here for access to a detailed report of these and other key findings from the RES Software Windows 7 survey.


For more information on RES Software please visit:
• RES Software Solutions on the Web
• RES Software on our Blog
• RES Software on Twitter

About RES Dyamamice Desktop Studio
Dynamic Desktop Studio allows IT to manage end-user computing environments as a centralised service across multiple delivery platforms that adapt to location, device type or even time of day. RES Software separates the user experience from the underlying hardware and OS, and dynamically assembles these components “just in time” based on the most efficient use of resources. By decoupling this computing environment (or “workspace”), IT is able to manage desktops, laptops and emerging platforms like virtual desktops and tablets more easily, cost effectively and securely. Automation Manager, one component of Dynamic Desktop Studio, allows IT to create reusable runbooks that automate most manual desktop management tasks and present them as “services” to users in a context-aware self-service portal.

About RES Software
RES Software, the proven leader in dynamic desktop solutions, is driving a transformation in the way organisations manage, maintain and reduce the cost of their desktop infrastructure. The RES Software award-winning, patented products enable IT professionals to manage and deliver secure, personalised and compliant desktops independent of the underlying computing infrastructure – thin clients, virtual desktops, physical desktops, or server-based computing environments. The company empowers customers, from small- to medium-sized businesses to global enterprises, to reduce desktop complexity and meet the essential needs of a dynamic workforce that requires on-demand access to their personalised workspaces. For more information, follow updates on Twitter @ressoftware and visit www.ressoftware.com.


Media contacts:
Mark Kember / Carolann Bara
Goode International
Tel: +44 (0) 1491 873 323
Email: mark.kember@goode.co.uk / carolann.bara@goode.co.uk