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Vista Adoption Decision
January 3, 2007
This document outlines some of the criteria for
considering whether to adopt Windows Vista now, or to stay with Windows
XP for a while. Schedule appointments to discuss details or for further
clarifications. What you need to know about the Vista
"decision":
- scheduled release to general public and OEM on
January
30, 2007 (in 27 days)
- already released to corporate licensing customers on
November 29, 2006
- adoption of Vista not a question of if, but a question of when
- there are numerous compelling features & benefits
- better manageability for IT
- improved security
- ergonomic enhancement & pleasant experience
- new features, making possible foregoing of some 3rd-party
products
- eventually, it'd be a mandatory standard platform, required
by applications
- it's about justification of cost & efforts vs. benefits
(tangible and intangible)
- don't overlook costs beyond licensing fee itself (labor, training &
memory upgrades)
- coordination & optimization: avoid haphazard scrambling or
indecisions
- Vista works perfectly fine on current generation (3-year old) basic
workstations
- must first clear the
compatibility/support step
- mixed environment of XP and Vista is a perfectly viable option
- upgrading of existing stations is feasible but generally not
worthwhile
- in-place upgrade for problem-free stations only, fresh install
for all other upgrades
- for licensing (as opposed to retail) customers of Microsoft:
- all new systems should be
acquired with Vista
- exercise legal downgrade rights if deferral is dictated by your
IT policy, upgrade cycle or vendors' limitations
- this eliminates the subsequent upgrade license cost
Vista decision/timeline should be driven by:
WARNING: These are rare even among IT
practitioners
- specific features that solve specific problems for you
- compatibility/support risks
- expected remaining life span of workstations
- your overall IT objectives, policies and upgrade cycle
- your strategic directions on mission-critical applications (MCA)
- your MCA vendors' compatibility timeline, upgrade cycles and support policies
- your licensing agreement expiration/renewal dates
- seasonal scheduling considerations (your firm's workload & our
availability)
- other relevant facts & merits
Give no considerations to:
WARNING: These are prevalent among consumer presses & hobbyists posing
as pros
- coolness (fall prey to "techno lust") or other emotional
factors
- peer pressure & myths on the street (or in the press, same
thing)
- fear of "problem" as early adopter, which is a myth stemming
from ignorance
- incorrect assumption that top-of-the-line hardware is required
- upgrade for upgrade's sake, just to "keep up" with the
latest/greatest
- logical fallicies and nonsensicle conventional wisdom
- flawed ideologies
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Summary:
- Is your hardware ready?
(performance requirements, device
drivers, etc.)
- Your mission-critical
applications ready?
(compatibility & vendor support)
- Is your IT department
ready? (skills set, custom-developed
scripts, etc.)
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See Also:
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