Is change on the way?

I was reading an article on Windows “Blue” today, and there was an interesting side note to it. Positive changes to the way Microsoft develops and releases operating systems may be a reality starting with Windows 8 (or least that opportunity exists). From the information that is available now, it seems that this upgrade/add-on to Windows 8 will incorporate some significant modifications to that operating system. One analyst feels that Microsoft may be leaning toward changing their operating system development cycle by increasing the changes and release schedule. The benefit, he says, is...

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Windows 7 Migration Woes

The folks over at VMware have released some survey data that sheds some light on the more prevalent downsides of Windows XP to 7 migrations. The number of companies that have not migrated yet is not surprising, nor is that what caught my eye. What is interesting is that the level of grief experienced by staff that only used free migration tools is much higher than those who made use of specialized tools that were purchased to help them along. The blog states “…Companies that purchased new tools to help with the migration experienced over 50% fewer challenges than those using free tools...

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Are you aware of your application security vulnerabilities?

A few years ago I brought my car in for service at the dealership. While I was there, the service advisor told me that there was an outstanding recall on the car. It was discovered that the lock mechanism was easily defeated using a flathead screwdriver, making the car an easy target for thieves. As the car owner, nobody bothered to let me know that there was a recall on the car until I got to the dealership, but it seemed that the word was out on the street a long time ago. Manufacturers are not obligated to let you know about recalls if the issue does not pertain to a safety issue. We’ve...

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Cleaning up

When you are thinking about your Windows migration project, you may have identified some dependencies, along with a bunch of nice-to-haves that you would like to have in place as well. This may include a migration to System Center 2012, or a cleanup and upgrade of your AD environment etc. Along with cleaning up your application portfolio through a rationalization effort, these projects will provide you some great benefits now, and in the long term. By rolling out effective tools and using them to their full potential, you will reduce the time you spend on basic day-to-day tasks. Similarly, by...

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Everyone knows Windows XP support ends in a year. So what?

Next week you will see a ton of articles and blogs about the demise of Windows XP in April of 2014. As you are already well aware, there is only 1 year left of support for that operating system, and you are probably doing something about it in your organization already. There is no reason to continue to tell you the ramifications, either. Since you know you are going to need to do something or have most likely started, you are probably looking for ways to make the transition to your new platform(s) easier. One of the ways to simplify your migration is to reduce the scope of apps you need to...

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Tread carefully

Here we are in March of 2013, and there are a slew of articles coming out on the impending demise of Windows XP, along with some statistics and guesses on what the adoption numbers are so far for Windows 7 and 8. The consensus is that over 80% of organizations have at least addressed their migration in some way. Anyway, it’s not so much the articles that are interesting, but more so the comments from readers that are usually found underneath. There seems to be discontent and confusion from some folks about the release of Windows 7 and, just a few years later, Windows 8. A lot of people are...

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