BYOD adds complexity to Windows migration
August 07, 2013
Many businesses are already struggling to migrate from Windows XP to Windows 7 or 8 before Microsoft ends its support for the old operating system. In addition, the present 'bring your own device' (BYOD) trend is accentuating the complexity of migration, thereby increasing the already growing concerns among business users.
In this challenging scenario, ITC Infotech, a leading global IT services and solutions company, asserts that businesses should take proactive steps as they migrate to Windows 7 or 8. It is imperative for businesses to future-proof their company, offer workers the flexibility associated with using their own devices and at the same time ensure a secure work environment.
According to a Forrester survey on BYOD, more than two-thirds of North American and European information workers personally select the smartphones and tablets they use for work. Moreover, 46% use laptops that are not on the company-approved device list. This trend is blurring the boundaries between personal and work IT, with many of the staff increasingly using their own devices to run enterprise applications and access company data.
ITC Infotech is well poised to help companies adapt to emerging trends and address critical challenges. Apart from its expertise in operating system transformation, ITC Infotech also specialises in the 'coexistent enterprises' techniques that allow secure use of BYOD.
Hardeep Singh Garewal, President - European Operations, ITC Infotech, said, "We call it anytime, anywhere, any platform access to enterprise resources. We are encouraging and managing the IT estate for enterprises with multiple operating systems co-existing in the environment. Location and device from where resources are being accessed from, becomes incidental. All the governance and security measures are in place to allow users to securely access whatever controlled resources the enterprise provides through whichever device they like. This enables increased staff mobility, higher job satisfaction, and improvements in efficiency and productivity."
Microsoft turns off support for its Windows XP operating system on April 8 next year. This may leave many IT organisations with a tough challenge if they don't migrate in good time. It is only ten months away from the D Day, and as many as 39% of users are still to migrate their work places. To complicate matters, many firms, particularly SMEs, don't currently have a mature enough IT estate to roll out Windows 7 or 8.
ITC Infotech warns that companies need to start the migration immediately or risk overshooting the deadline. Those that are still using XP, come April 08th, 2014, could face huge costs as Microsoft will raise the price of support for the old system to encourage migration of reluctant users.
Hardeep concludes, "Once the deadline date is overshot, it will lead to cost escalation of up to three times as much to continue to receive support for XP, and then after a short period, support will be cut off altogether. It's therefore imperative that the transformation begins now and it would be relevant and appropriate to address the BYOD issue at the same time."
