1. Symantec 2010 Windows 7 Migration
Global Results

2. Methodology
• Applied Research performed survey
• 1,360 enterprises worldwide
• SMBs and enterprises
• Cross-industry
2

3. Key Topics
• Attitudes about migrating
• Manpower requirements
• Preparing for the migration
• General recommendations
• Results of the migration
3

4. Attitudes About Migrating
4

5. Timing and Motivations
• Typically wait six to 12 months
• Only 8% migrate immediately
• Performance, reliability and end-user experience motivated
migration
• Most (62%) set ROI goals
• 90% met ROI goals
5

6. Manpower Requirements
6

7. Manpower requirements
• Typically involve half of IT staff
• Most automated the process
• 10 PCs worth automating
• Time consuming aspects:
– Planning (17%)
– Actual execution of upgrade (12%)
– Reinstalling applications (10%)
– Inventorying existing machines (10%)
– Running pilot tests (9%)
7

8. Preparing for the Migration
8

9. Before the migration
• What to capture beforehand
– User files & documents
– Links to network drives
– Email
• RAM, processor speed,
PC age, budget important
• 10 IT man-hours
in preparation
9

10. Hardware recommendations
• CPU
– Minimum: 2 to 2.5 GHz
– Optimal: 2.5 to 3 GHz
• RAM
– Minimum: 2 GB
– Optimal: 4 GB
• Storage
– Minimum: 200 to 500 GB
– Optimal: 500 GB to 1 TB
• Video RAM
– Minimum: 512 MB
– Optimal: 1 GB or more
10

11. General Recommendations
11

12. General recommendations
• Standardization, added security, and virtual desktop
• 71% replace incompatible applications
12

13. Ensuring success / Easing the process
• Planning
• Training
• Pilot tests
13

14. Results of the Migration
14

15. Results of the migration
• 78% said process was smooth
• 63% said easier than last
migration
• Most achieved key motivations
• Most ran into delays
• End-user satisfaction increased
over time
15

16. Best vs. Worst Practices in Information Management
Top tier results Bottom tier results
• Users offline 2 hours • Users offline 6 hours
• 60% of users extremely satisfied • 25% of users extremely satisfied
Differences Differences
• 20 IT man-hours in preparation • 9 IT man-hours in preparation
• Extremely important: • Extremely important:
– Advanced planning (56% ) – Advanced planning (30% )
– Upgrading hardware (45%) – Upgrading hardware (31%)
– Pilot test (45%) – Pilot test (34%)
– Training (44%) – Training (26%)
– Capture user profiles (42%) – Capture user profiles (27%)
– Proper inventory (35%) – Proper inventory (24%)

17. Appendix
All questions included
17

18. Company size
How many employees are in your company worldwide?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
5 to 99 17%
100 to 999 28%
1,000 to 2,499 22%
2,500 to 9,999 16%
10,000 or more 17%
18

19. Industry
In which industry do you work?
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Financial 10%
Manufacturing 10%
Technology 10%
Telecommunications 9%
Healthcare 8%
Automotive 7%
Consumer 7%
Insurance 7%
Retail 7%
Education 4%
Energy 4%
Media 3%
Online 3%
Public sector 3%
Transportation 3%
Real estate 2%
Other (please specify) 2%
Hospitality 1%
19

20. Computer involvement
What is your involvement with your organization's computer systems?
(Mark all that apply.)
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50% 50%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
I have strategic oversight I manage operations
20

21. Computer knowledge
In which of the following areas of IT / computer are you
knowledgeable?
(Mark all that apply.)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Desktop/laptop operating systems 100 percent
Applications 80%
Network or infrastructure 71%
Storage 64%
Security 62%
21

22. Windows 7 involvement
What is the status of your involvement with Window 7?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
We have already migrated many of our desktops and laptops to Windows 7 87%
We have already migrated most of our desktops and laptops to Windows 7 8%
We have already migrated all of our desktops and laptops to Windows 7 5%
22

23. Expected use of Windows 7
How long do you expect to continue using Windows 7 before upgrading
to a new operating system?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
3 to 5 years 62%
5 to 8 years 28%
8 to 10 years 9%
10 years or longer 1%
23

24. User downtime
When you migrated your systems to Windows 7, how long did you
expect, on average, each user to be offline?
(Answer in hours)
3
2
2
1
0
Median
24

25. User downtime
When you migrated your system to Windows 7, how long was each user,
on average, actually offline?
(Answer in hours)
3
2
2
1
0
Median
25

26. Migration planning
While planning your migration to Windows 7, how many IT man-hours
of planning went into preparation?
12
10
10
8
6
4
2
0
Median
26

27. Transition difficulty

28. Additional technologies
Did you use the migration as an opportunity to implement any of the
following technologies?
(Mark all that apply.)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Standardization 57%
Additional security measures 53%
Virtual desktop interface 51%
Software virtualization 47%
Improved backup / disaster recovery 40%
Asset management 29%
28

29. Delaying issues
Which issues, if any, hindered migration or caused a delay?
(Mark all that apply.)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Application incompatibility 53%
Hardware incompatibility 44%
Budget 40%
Pilot test failure 26%
Other initiatives of higher priority 16%
29

30. Machine types
What percentage of your migration to Windows 7 involved each of the
following situations?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Existing machines that you upgraded from an old operating system 37%
Existing machines that you wiped clean and installed a fresh operating system 27%
Fresh installs on new machines 23%
New machines with Windows 7 pre-installed 24%
30

31. Machine types
31

32. Previous operating system

33. Influencing factors
Which of the following factors influenced your decision to migrate to
Windows 7?
(Mark all that apply.)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Increased performance 69%
Increased reliability 59%
Better end-user experience 51%
Better security 47%
Easier to use 45%
Microsoft was ending support of the OS we were using 40%
64-bit support 39%
Our policy is to stay current with Microsoft's OS platforms 32%
Improved help desk support 21%
Other (Please specify) 2%
33

34. When to upgrade
How long do you feel it is best to wait after the release of a new OS to
allow the company (such as Microsoft) to work out any bugs?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Immediately after the new OS is released 8%
1 to 6 months 24%
6 months to 1 year 31%
1 to 2 years 26%
Longer than 2 years 8%
After SP1 is released 2%
After SP2 is released 2%
34

35. Economic impact

36. Current machines vs. new machines
In your opinion, how important is each of the following factors in
deciding whether you install a new operating system on an older
machine vs. buying a new machine?
(Somewhat/extremely important shown)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
RAM capacity of current hardware 75%
Processor speed of current hardware 74%
Age of current hardware 73%
Budget 71%
Information that might be lost in the event of a clean install 70%
Storage capacity of current hardware 70%
The number of unique applications installed on the workstation 66%
Whether users are storing files locally or on a network 59%
Video capabilities of current hardware 58%
How many people use the PC 56%
36

37. Upgrading vs. fresh install
In your opinion, how important is each of the following factors in
deciding whether you upgrade your operating system vs. doing a fresh
install?
(somewhat/extremely important shown)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
RAM capacity of current hardware 74%
Processor speed of current hardware 74%
Age of current hardware 72%
Information that might be lost in the event of a clean install 71%
Storage capacity of current hardware 70%
Budget 69%
The number of unique applications installed on the workstation 68%
Whether users are storing files locally or on a network 61%
How many people use the PC 58%
Video capabilities of current hardware 58%
37

38. Communication
How much coordination and communication with management, line-of-
business managers, and end users was required to make migration to
Windows 7 occur efficiently and with as little disruption to the company
work process as possible?
(High level shown)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Line-of-business managers 62%
End users 61%
Management 60%
38

39. End user reaction
What percent of your end users who migrated to Windows 7 were
somewhat/extremely satisfied during each phase of your migration to
Windows 7?
(Means shown)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
After the learning phase for Windows 7 68%
During the learning phase for Windows 7 60%
During the migration 58%
39

40. IT workforce involvement
What percent of your IT workforce was involved in your migration to
Windows 7?
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Median
40

41. Setting ROIs
Did you set an expected ROI before you implemented your migration to
Windows 7?
No
38%
Yes
62 percent
41

42. Meeting ROIs
Did you meet the ROI you set for your migration to Windows 7?
(Only asked of those who set an ROI prior to implementation)
No
10%
Yes
90 percent
42

43. Affected factors
43

44. Minimizing cost
44

45. Successful migrations
How important is each of the following activities toward the success of
migration to Windows 7?
(Somewhat/extremely important shown)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Planning 83%
Reinstalling applications 80%
Troubleshooting 80%
User training 80%
Upgrading of operating systems 79%
Capturing user settings 77%
User setup post-migration (settings, etc.) 77%
Inventory 76%
Writing and testing scripts 74%
45

46. Migration process
What percentage of the migration process (overall, for all machines
upgraded) was dedicated to each of the following activities?
(Means shown)
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Planning 17%
Upgrading of operating systems 12%
Reinstalling applications 10%
Inventory 10%
Running pilot tests 9%
Capturing user settings 9%
User training 9%
Writing and testing scripts 9%
Troubleshooting 8%
User setup post-migration (settings, etc.) 8%
46

47. Automation vs. manual
What percentage of the migration process was automated? Manual?
(Means shown)
Manual
46%
Automated
54 percent
47

48. Previous migrations
What was the last operating system to which you migrated?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Windows 3.0 or 3.1 0%
Windows 95 0%
Windows 98 2%
Windows 2000 5%
Windows ME 2%
Windows XP 66%
Windows Vista 22%
Other (Mac OS, Linux, etc.) 1%
I have never performed an OS migration 2%
48

49. Previous migrations

50. Migration tools
50

51. Post-migration issues
What percentage of users had problems with each of the following post-
migration?
(Means shown)
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Office settings 15%
Links to network drives 15%
User files and documents 14%
User profiles 14%
Browser favorites 13%
Email 13%
Contacts 11%
51

52. Migration approaches
Which approach did you use / are you using for your migration?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Batch migration (Migrate in batches) 52%
Gradual migration (Migrate on a hardware refresh schedule) 28%
Mass migration (All endpoints migrated at once) 21%
52

53. Migration approaches

54. Incompatible applications
How effective are each of the following methods for handling
applications that aren't compatible with Windows 7?
(Somewhat/extremely effective shown)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Replace applications 71%
Use solutions such as application virtualization 69%
Maintain some systems on the old OS 68%
Repair applications 65%
54

55. Pre-migration captures
55

56. Helpful factors
How helpful were the following factors in facilitating the transition to
Windows 7?
(Somewhat/extremely helpful shown)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Advance planning 84%
Sufficient hardware upgrades prior to migration 81%
Training 80%
Performing a pilot test 80%
Proper inventory 78%
Consistent packaging 71%
56

57. Helpful factors
Rate the following factors on how helpful they are for reducing
requirements for intervention and desktop visits.
(Somewhat/extremely helpful shown)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Advance planning 83%
Training 81%
Sufficient hardware upgrades prior to migration 80%
Performing a pilot test 79%
Proper inventory 75%
Consistent packaging 73%
57

58. Pilot tests
How many pilot tests did you perform over the course of your migration
to Windows 7?
6
5
5
4
3
2
1
0
Median
58

59. Automatic vs. manual migrations
How many individual workstations would make it worth the investment
in automatic migrations vs. manually migrating each?
12
10
10
8
6
4
2
0
Median
59

60. Hardware specifications
Which metric do you use to determine whether a processor is suitable
for running Windows 7?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Windows Experience Index 52%
Processor speed (GHz) 51%
Analyst report 42%
CPUID 35%
Published reviews 30%
Number of cores 27%
Passmark 24%
Futuremark 22%
Other (Please specify) 6%
60

61. Hardware specifications / recommendations
Regardless of what Microsoft recommends, in your opinion, what is the
minimum processor speed you would suggest for a machine running
Windows 7? The optimal processor speed?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
8%
1 GHz
2%
29%
1 to 2 GHz
10%
Minimum
36%
2 to 2.5 GHz Optimal
23%
20%
2.5 to 3 GHz
37%
7%
More than 3 GHz
28%
61

62. Hardware specifications / recommendations
Regardless of what Microsoft recommends, in your opinion, what is the
minimum amount of RAM you would suggest for a machine running
Windows 7? The optimal amount?
(In gigabytes)
4.5
4
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Minimum Median Optimal Median
62

63. Hardware specifications / recommendations
Regardless of what Microsoft recommends, in your opinion, what is the
minimum amount of storage you would suggest for a machine running
Windows 7? The optimal amount?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
34%
100 to 200 GB
7%
30%
200 to 500 GB
24%
18%
500 GB to 1 TB Minimum
28%
Optimal
10%
1 to 2 TB
21%
6%
2 to 4 TB
14%
2%
4 TB or more
7%
63

64. Hardware specifications / recommendations
Regardless of what Microsoft recommends, in your opinion, what is the
minimum amount of video RAM you would suggest for a machine
running Windows 7? The optimal amount?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
10%
128 MB
2%
27%
256 MB
9% Minimum
Optimal
34%
512 MB
22%
29%
1 GB or more
67%
64

65. Hardware upgrades
In what percentage of the machines you migrated to Windows 7 did you
upgrade each of the following?
(Medians shown)
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
30% 25%
20% 20%
20%
10%
0%
RAM Processor Storage capacity Video
65