VMware Windows 7 Migration

Overview:

Get the benefits of upgrading to Windows 7 without endless testing and troubleshooting of integration issues.

IT organizations are faced with the daunting task of having to migrate their desktop environment to Windows 7 as Windows XP support approaches its end and Windows XP availability squeezed with impending complex licensing.

But upgrading 100s or 1000s of desktop devices is costly and time consuming. Windows XP applications will not automatically be compatible with Windows 7. For example Web-based apps that work great on Internet Explorer 6, may not run on Internet Explorer 8 with Windows 7. Additionally, many organizations have custom applications driving their businesses, recoding and recertification their applications for Windows 7 is a time-consuming and costly endeavor. Most of them will have to rely on external vendors to provide the new compatible applications. And the clock is ticking.

Start the transition to Windows 7 today by virtualizing your existing Windows applications with VMware ThinApp. Application virtualization removes the dependency of applications from the underlying operating system so you can run a single application across multiple Windows operating systems. This helps to streamline application migration, ease the burden of cost and complexity for IT and create a seamless transition for end users.

Once your applications are virtualized, consider moving to a complete Virtual Desktop environment using VMware View and further separate the operating system from the underlying hardware and deliver as a secure managed service from the datacenter.

Separate desktop environments from the underlying hardware and run a single image of the operating system on a variety of machines with VMware View. Desktop operating systems, applications and data can be isolated and managed independently in the datacenter.

The VMware virtual desktop solution lets you:

• Eliminate costly application porting and reduce regression testing
• Reduce conflicts and support calls with the application isolation and portability of VMware ThinApp, an integral part of VMware View
• Perform Win 7 migrations across systems without having to reboot
• Migrate existing applications to Windows 7 by copying application files rather than installing them for faster deployment
• Update a master desktop image without affecting user settings, data, or applications
• Extend the life of your application and hardware to maximize and protect your investment

Minimize Costly Regression Testing:

Applications virtualized with VMware ThinApp are contained in single image formats such as .EXE and .MSI. These images can simply be deployed to end point device or delivered as a secure managed service using View. There is no need for costly deployment downtime and disruption to end user activities.

Since virtualized applications are fully isolated images that do not require installation and commit no changes to the registry, this removes any potential conflict that can be introduced to the environment and greatly reduces the need for regression testing.

You can even deploy a single image of an application to multiple OS versions. Complete a company-wide Windows 7 migration quickly and easily, without costly application porting and lengthy regression testing. Using VMware desktop virtualization, you will:

• Run a single image of the Windows 7 OS across your virtual environment on a variety of hardware types
• Maintain user productivity by enabling Windows 7 migration across many systems without rebooting
• Reduce management costs and power consumption by encapsulating older systems and running them in a more efficient, server-based environment
• Ensure application compatibility on all endpoint devices

Fast to Deployment and Minimize Support Demand on IT

Migrating an entire desktop environment to a new operating system is a time-consuming and costly endeavor for IT and a disruptive event for end users. With VMware desktop virtualization solutions, you can continue to deliver the same applications your end users are accustomed to along with their profiles to Windows 7 quickly and seamlessly. By first virtualizing the applications with VMware ThinApp into single image files, then using VMware View to virtualize the desktops and isolating the desktop environment from the OS. The resulting combined stack helps IT to streamline deployments of both applications and virtual desktops to end point devices. The virtualized applications and desktop environments eliminate direct dependencies on the underlying Windows 7 environment. This helps to reduce conflicts and reduces demand on IT and helpdesk support.

• Maximize worker productivity and dramatically reduce support calls and maintenance overhead with VMware View. Images of the desktops reside in the datacenter and are deployed to each end user‘s machine. Virtualizing applications isolates them from the OS so they remain unaffected during OS upgrades and migrations, lessening support costs and frustration.
• Eliminate conflicts and reduce helpdesk support calls.
• Migrate application and desktop as a single “stack” to minimize disruptive end user downtime.