BEFORE YOU MIGRATE TO WINDOWS 8...

There always seems to be something new in the computing world. Is it a novelty that will make your life a little more convenient, or something that affects business overall? Let’s be honest this is not Windows 7.  The decision to migrate to Windows 8 requires significant consideration and evaluation.  What is Microsoft’s goal with Windows 8?  The adoption of one common operating system on the PC, tablet and personal data assistant.  Ambitious yes but the concept has great potential if your focus is simplification.  Yes, simplification something all business and IT departments greatly desire.  The question becomes what should your business consider before planning a migration to Windows 8. 

Before moving forward you should develop and consider a list of benefits.  Do those benefits translate into a tangible return on investment, increase efficiency and productivity?  Take the time to solicit the thoughts and feedback of the management team.  Obtaining counsel from other key leaders of the business is always beneficial.  Keep in mind what IT perceives as a benefit can be subjective and needs to be further vetted.  To help get you started below is a list of a few potential benefits:   

• Common Interface:  As mentioned above imagine the concept of all employees having the same operating systems interface for:  PCs, tablets and personal data assistants.  There is a strong case to be made for this concept.  Having a strategic initiative to simplify your IT ecosystem can result in lower cost and improve employee efficiency.

• Socially Engineered:  If your organization is active in engaging social mediums such as Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook; Windows 8 definitely has strong possibilities.  Windows 8 embraces social technology and collaboration allowing a more holistic view of your contacts. 

• Microsoft Office:  While there have been numerous challengers to Microsoft Office very few if any have made significant advancements in market share.  As part of analyzing the benefits you should consider how the Microsoft Surface might be a factor.  The Surface comes standard with Microsoft office which should not be overlooked.  This could potentially be an advantage for companies who have large remote work-forces that use tablets. 

Risk

Application compatibility is a key element in the decision making progress.  The big question is whether or not your existing applications are compatible with Windows 8.  To help you get started you can use Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant.  This feature is included with Windows 8 and will help you asses each application.  Revamping business applications can be costly so understanding the level of risk is essential in the decision making process. 

Investment

If you determine the benefits are compelling start formulating an investment profile.  In other words what kind of capital investment will be required to migrate to Windows 8?  Take the time to look at a Windows 8 deployment from a total cost of ownership (TCO) perspective.  After a thorough assessment you may find that Windows 8 has the potential to work well within your organization.