Beware the Internet Explorer 6.0 headache for Windows 7 upgrade

Internet Explorer 6.0 is likely to cause major headaches, because there is no support for it in Windows 7. IE 6.0 compatibility was killed off in the Microsoft Trustworthy Computing initiative to make Microsoft code more secure. As a result, IE6 is not supported in later versions of the browser. Websites and web applications written for IE6 will not work under IE8 or 9. The IE6-dependency issue is a significant problem for many organisations looking to migrate from XP and is a blocker to many Windows 7 migrations.

Microsoft says it’s one of the biggest challenges for Windows 7 projects. The UK public sector and many large businesses rely a lot on IE6 applications. When most were installed, browser compatibility was not as serious an issue as it is now. Some websites and applications are tied to IE6. Browsium is a software company tackling this aspect of Windows XP migrations by providing a browser plug-in for IE8 that provides an environment for running IE6 websites and plug-ins.

 How Windows 7 upgrade affects desktop virtualisation

Desktop virtualisation is no way to lower desktop computing costs. It puts immense strain on the network and storage, but it does offer a strong model for centralised security that fits in well with the consumerisation of IT. VDI is a major undertaking, technically challenging and it requires a cultural shift in how people view personal computing.

The Co-operative Group plans to virtualise up to 2,000 desktops by the end of 2011, reaching 3,500 desktops across its head office and funeral services branches during 2012.

Moving to Windows 7 also gives the IT department the ability to use App-V, the Microsoft virtualisation technology. But not all applications are suitable for virtualisation. Application compatibility tools have a role to play here, again, by helping users to identify potential compatibility issues.

 How Windows 8 release affects Windows XP upgrade

Organisations may consider delaying the migration because Windows 8 is just around the corner.

In Gartner’s paper, Don’t Change Your Windows 7 Plans Because of Windows 8, analysts say Microsoft expects Windows 8 to be released to manufacture in April 2012, a date that would allow general availability by mid-year. In the paper Gartner warns that independent software vendors (ISVs) and enterprises will likely need nine to 18 months to obtain and test supported applications and plan deployments.

According to Gartner, most organisations will not be able to start deploying Windows 8 before the end of 2013. “With support for Windows XP ending in April 2014, we believe it would be dangerous for organisations now running XP to attempt to skip Windows 7 and move directly to Windows 8.”

Five pointers for your Windows XP upgrade at a glance

1. Software and hardware auditing should be used to determine the state of the desktop in terms of software and hardware configuration. Windows 7 has a minimum specification, in terms of hardware requirements. Generally, businesses are installing 4 to 8GBytes of memory on 64-bit ready PC hardware to make the most of what the OS offers.
2. Reducing the number of applications, by simplifying the desktop PC environment, should be a priority. Ultimately, IT departments should consider migrating towards a fully -fledged virtual desktop environment, but this may be too big a first step from Windows XP. Tools that monitor application usage can identify candidate applications to remove from the desktop.
3. Don’t forget Internet Explorer 6.0. Some internal websites and web applications may have been hard-coded to run only in IE6. Such applications can be redeveloped, but it may be more cost-effective to user a browser emulation plug-in, that enables the IE6 environment to run within a modern Microsoft browser.
4. Automated application compatibility testing enables IT departments to test which desktop applications are good to go and which are incompatible with Windows 7.
5. Some application testing tools can fix many common application compatibility problems automatically, leaving just a few applications that need to be manually re-engineered.

Microsoft ends support for Windows XP in 2014. Realistically, businesses will need to start migration plans in 2012, to leave enough time to test and roll-out desktops. So what steps can an IT department take to simplify the Windows 7 upgrade.

Prepare for XP migration with hardware and software audit

Organisations should try to eliminate Windows XP by the end of 2012 to avoid disruptions, says Gartner. CIOs and IT leaders will be confronted by a host of challenges, as well as some degree of risk, as they work through the preparation and deployment processes. Issues such as software compatibility, licensing agreements and SLAs will need to be addressed.

The place to start is with a hardware and software audit. This allows IT departments to discover what hardware will run Windows 7 and catalogue the desktop applications run in the organisation. Depending on how much flexibility IT gives business users to deploy their own desktop software, IT can find it has hundreds of un-licensed and un-supported applications.

With potentially thousands of applications to check, organisations must starting anticipating the migration from Windows XP to Windows 7. 

Use automated tools to test application compatibility with Windows 7

But be aware that Windows 7 is no ordinary desktop upgrade. In fact, treating it just like a Windows upgrade would be missing the point as it offers the chance for IT to rethink how it does desktop IT. Businesses have to think about their IE6 websites and applications, whether or not to take advantage of 64-bit computing available on Windows 7 and a virtual desktop infrastructure.

Windows XP application compatibility could be a major issue – some XP applications will fail on Windows 7 – but there are various software tools available that will allow organisations to check if applications will install on Windows 7. These are automated tools so developers don’t have to test applications themselves. Such tools can reduce the manual migration process significantly. As usual, expect the 80/20 rule; most applications should pass through with no compatibility issues, leaving fewer that need manual checking.

Post remediation, to fix the compatibility issue, around 98% of applications should then be able to run on a Windows 7 desktop. That leaves 2%, which will need re-engineering.

The move to 64-bit computing will cause 16-bit to become inoperable. This is likely to affect legacy device drivers and older peripheral hardware. On modern PCs, users should update 32-bit device drivers to the latest 64-bit versions.

Business intelligence is supposed to provide decision-makers with the insight they need. The growth in data is making it harder for people to gain meaningful insight because they can only track data on a quarterly or yearly basis. Increasingly, business leaders want to make decisions faster and this is putting the IT department under more pressure at a time when they are being asked to do more with less.

IBM (with Cognos), Microsoft, SAP (Business Objects) and Oracle have strong BI offerings. IBM and Microsoft lack ERP products that the other two can offer. But Gartner says so far it’s an open and heterogeneous position and increasing use of services in its value proposition are helping IBM to maintain par as a standard with SAP and Oracle.

However, in Gartner’s report, The Changing Attitudes of Business Intelligence Users, Gartner analyst James Richardson notes that, in 2011, more than 50% of IBM Cognos respondents stated that SAP or Oracle is their primary ERP and these firms will form a key battleground over the next few years for Cognos.

Richardson says: “The biggest loser in the standardisation battle is Microsoft, which has neither the strength in ERP nor IBM’s service provider touch to defend its position, and as such has fallen out of parity with the other three megavendors as a BI standard.”

Tesco has signed an eight-year software licensing and services deal with Microsoft aimed at helping improve the retail giant’s global productivity and international growth. As part of the agreement, Microsoft will provide the latest versions of its products and services to Tesco’s head offices, stores, distribution and datacentres, including Windows, Office, SharePoint, Exchange, Lync, System Center, BizTalk and SQLServer. The deal also includes consultancy services under Microsoft’s Enterprise Strategy programme.

Tesco plans to create a new global collaboration platform by deploying SharePoint, Exchange and Lync as part of its strategy to grow internationally, expanding its retail services, including banking, online and mobile. “Putting innovative technology in the hands of its customers, staff and suppliers will allow Tesco to get closer to its goals of multi-channel retailing and meeting people’s needs as they change,” said Tesco in a statement. Bill Gonzalez, general manager for worldwide distribution and services sector at Microsoft, said the agreement will change the way Tesco connects internally and with its customers.

But is it a good idea to sign such a long term agreement for desk-based versions of software in the light of the developing Cloud market, which includes Microsoft’s own Office 365 Cloud offering?

Since the release of Microsoft’s Office 365 cloud-based service, the pros and cons of how it stacks up against its competitors in terms of cost and usability have been hotly debated, but it is Office 365′s security credentials that really sets it apart, according to the company’s Trustworthy Computing Group.

Microsoft, the group says, is the only cloud services provider that addresses security at every level in the stack, starting with the underlying infrastructure, which is certified as complying with the ISO 27001 information security management standard.

Certainly something to consider when comparing Microsoft Office 365 to its rivals.

The worldwide enterprise software market grew 8.5% to $245b in 2010, signalling a recovery from the recession, says research firm Gartner. The growth contrasts with a 2.5% decline in worldwide enterprise software revenue in 2009, with major software vendors expanding product portfolios and reaching deeper into emerging markets.

Japan and Western Europe saw relatively modest growth, while Latin America and Asia/Pacific saw growth in the mid-to-high teens, nearly double the market average.

Three of the top five vendors had revenue gains above the industry average, with Microsoft holding top position, increasing its global enterprise software revenue share to 22.4%.Growth results were enhanced in 2010 by the broader adoption of new releases of the Windows 7 operating system and Microsoft Office 2010 productivity software.

Microsoft’s results have been improved by strategies aimed not only at individuals, but also at organisations and multiple delivery models. The company is placing more emphasis on enterprise application and infrastructure software programming platforms, says Gartner.

Microsoft has announced record results for its financial third quarter, delivering a riposte to critics who say that the software giant is losing its lustre behind Apple’s growing success.

The Seattle company reported revenue up 13% year on year to $16,4bn, with net income up 31% to $5.2bn.

The results follow increasing predictions of the slow demise of the PC – the bedrock of Microsoft’s business – with many research firms noting that tablet devices are eroding PC sales. But such forecasts have yet to hit Microsoft.

Office 2010 has become the fastest selling version of the productivity suite, and that Windows 7 has now sold 350 million licences – although Windows revenue was down 7%.

Sales at Microsoft’s business division – responsible for software applications such as Office, Exchange and Sharepoint – grew 21% compared to the same period last year, while server and tools products increased revenue by 11%.

However, experts say that Microsoft is likely to face growing competition in its enterprise markets from portable devices such as tablets and smartphones in coming quarters.

Virtualisation is often thought of as a panacea for saving money. Well, sometimes it does generate cost savings and sometimes it can cost you more money than you were spending before you virtualised. Here is an example of how careful you need to be – if you are using Microsoft SQL Server, you can run several instances of SQL on a single server but the minute you turn the server into a virtual machine you are now obligated to pay Microsoft for a server license for each VM you are using. So if you have 4 VMs running on a server you will need 4 SQL server licenses. Sometimes it can be more cost effective to beef up you hardware using a higher powered processor, more RAM or faster buses rather than virtualizing and having to buy more SQL licenses.

Many schools will have their software licence fees cut by more than half as Microsoft changes its method for calculating payment. From 1 March, Microsoft will calculate fees based on the number of teachers working at schools, rather than the number of computer units used.

Alan Richards, IT manager at West Hatch High School in Essex, has piloted the scheme and estimates it has cut licensing costs by 50%. “We have around 600 machines and 140 staff; schools with more PCs could save up to 70%. At the moment we are looking to make cost savings and [without this] would have had to cut some of our services,” he said.

The decision is a pragmatic move by Microsoft not to lose its position in the market. Three years ago 97% of all desktops used Microsoft, now that figure will drop below 90%. This is a deliberate move to get students hooked on Microsoft technologies.

So if you are buying Microsoft licenses for schools in your area, wait until March or get Microsoft to give you the better pricing now.

Microsoft has seen net income increases 51% compared to same quarter prior year. It has reported revenue of $16.20bn for the quarter ended 30 September 2010, an increase of 25% compared to $12.92bn in the same period of the prior year. The increase in sales has been attributed to the robust consumer and corporate demands for the company’s Windows, Office and other products.

Operating income of $7.12b has been reported in the third quarter, which is an increase of 59% compared to $4.48bn in the same quarter prior year.

The deferred revenue of $1.47bn in the prior year was related to the Windows 7 Upgrade Option programme and sales of Windows 7 to OEMs and retailers before general availability in October 2009.

Without the deferral in the prior year, first-quarter growth rates for revenue and operating income were 13% and 20%, and growth in net income and earnings per share were 16% and 19%, respectively.

Microsoft chief financial officer Peter Klein said this was an exceptional quarter, combining solid enterprise growth and continued strong consumer demand for Office 2010, Windows 7, and Xbox 360 consoles and games.

Microsoft chief operating officer Kevin Turner said the company is seeing improved business demand and adoption, and its enterprise agreement rates were strong, reflecting business commitment to Windows 7, Office 2010, and server and database products.

I guess Open Office and Google Apps still have some way to go before they impact the Microsoft juggernaut.