Preparing For Your Windows 7 Migration with Express Software Manager

If you’re an Express Metrix customer planning to upgrade to Windows 7, don’t forget that Express Software Manager has rich hardware and software asset management functionality that will help you plan, budget for, and manage your migration.  One principal area of focus for your pre-migration planning relates to determining which of your existing applications will work with the new OS, and whether your PCs have the capacity to support the upgrade.

From a hardware readiness standpoint, Express Software Manager can inventory all your PCs to determine their CPUs, amount of memory, disk space, and any other hardware attributes that may be important to your migration.  With this information, you can determine whether you need to upgrade your machines, free up space, or replace them altogether.  Here’s just one of Express Software Manager’s hardware inventory reports you may find useful for your upgrade planning (click the thumbnail to enlarge):

   

Machine Capabilities

 

The other major area of consideration is the potential impact of the upgrade on your currently deployed software and associated licenses. First, you need to assess which of your existing applications are compatible with the new OS. If you’re aware of application conflicts, you can use Express Software Manager’s software inventory reports to locate machines running those applications and take appropriate action. If you plan to upgrade certain applications along with the OS, you should also examine your software metering reports to determine whether they are, in fact, being used. If not, you’ll want to renegotiate your licenses agreements when they come due so you’re paying only for what’s actually being used. 

Below are examples of just a few of the software usage reports provided by Express Software Manager (click the thumbnails to enlarge):

                                          

Enterprise SW Usage            SW Usage By Machine                       

Article written by Jeff Kelsey, VP of Products+

Jeff is responsible for defining how Express Metrix products will evolve to meet customer needs. He oversees the development and implementation of the product roadmap and manages the technical support staff that help customers get the most out of their investments in Express Metrix technology.