Microsoft Virtual Academy held the “Know it. Prove it.” 28-day challenge during the month of February 2015. The challenge was a month-long learning binge with 8 challenge tracks to choose from. Along with more than 55,000 people around the globe; I rocked the challenge during the month of February and leveled up my skills. As an overachiever, I actually completed 2 challenges and learned a lot. Even though the challenge is technically over, you can still commit to and complete these challenges, so there’s still plenty of time if you haven’t started one yet.

What is Microsoft Virtual Academy?

The Microsoft Virtual Academy is a website that provides Free webcast training on pretty much all of Microsoft’s technologies. The site has been around for years, and has quite the extensive catalog of content ranging from Beginner topics to more advanced topic with Windows Server, Azure, SharePoint, Visual Studio and even game development. Even though this site has been around for years, there’s still a lot of IT professionals that don’t know about it. The “Know it. Prove it.” challenge has definitely brought a lot of visibility to this great resource that all IT professionals can easily take advantage of.
Did I mention it’s completely Free?

What is the “Know It. Prove It.” Challenge

The “Know It. Prove It.” Challenge ran for the month of February 2015; only a short 28 days. Each challenge track is made up of content designed to take only 1 hour a day to complete.
The Challenge tracks are:

1. Cloud Development – everything Azure (there’s a lot!)
2. Game Development – 2D and 3D game development for Windows 8
3. Mobile Development – building Windows Store apps with C# and Cross-Platform development with Xamarin & Visual Studio
4. Web Development – building apps with HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3, jQuery, ASP.NET MVC and Bootstrap
5. Hybrid Cloud – Windows Server 2012, Azure and cloud automation
6. Identity & Access Management – Windows Server 2012 Active Directory, Windows 8.1 Security, Azure VPN & RemoteApp
7. Office 365 – Office 365, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Lync Online, Active Directory Federation and more
8. SharePoint – SharePoint 2013 configuration, management and development

There’s a challenge track for you, whether you’re an IT Pro or a Developer.

My Experience

Luckily, I found out about the “Know it. Prove it.” challenge at the end of January, so I was actually able to start 2 days early. Actually on that first day, I binged for about 6 hours of the Web Development challenge. Due to this head start I decided to take on both the Web Development and SharePoint challenges. I really had to push through at times (stay up late, get up early, etc) but I persevered and completed both challenges.

Tip Saving Tip: I actually played some of the videos at 2x speed so I could get through them more quickly.
As I progressed through the challenges I alternated between the two so I wouldn’t get burned out from an overload of 1 topic. This also helped me retain more of the knowledge transfer by only doing approximately 1 hour of each challenge per day.
After going through both the Web Development and SharePoint Challenges, I must say that the content is amazing! These are high quality webcasts authored by subject matter experts. While I only went through 2 of the 8 challenges, I have absolutely no doubt that the rest are just at top notch as these two.

I completed 2 #kipi2015 challenges (web dev & sharepoint) @MSVirtAcademy How about you?
— Chris Pietschmann (@crpietschmann) March 2, 2015

In case you’re interested, here’s a link to my Microsoft Virtual Academy profile, listing the courses that I’ve completed:
http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/Profile.aspx?alias=685961

Challenge Results

The overall challenge results are amazing! There were over 55,000 people who signed up for “Know It. Prove It.” with over 39,000 who signed up for at least 1 challenge. Of those people that signed up, there were over 53,000 challenges started; which means thousands of people started multiple challenged!
Andrew Parsons is the one running the challenge, and he posted an end of “Know It. Prove It.” blog post summarizing these results. Here’s the exact numbers he posted:

So, the numbers. You know what’s amazing? People were still signing up for Know it. Prove it. right up until the end (and even today we saw hundreds sign up!). A lot of you finished your challenges in the last week. And even more of you managed to finish at least one course in their challenges. So, just how many are we talking about?

• 55,425 people signed up for Know it. Prove it.
• 39,197 KiPi participants signed up for at least one challenge.
• 8,880 KiPi participants completed a course.
• 4,641 KiPi participants completed an entire challenge.

Over 55,000 people? That’s crazy! And almost three quarters of you went on to sign up for a challenge? That’s amazing! And more than four and a half thousand people completed an entire challenge, filling up their little badge all green? I. AM. IMPRESSED.
Oh, and the other number I’ve referred to previously? There were over 53,000 challenges started. 14,000 extra challenges. That means, thousands of you did more than one challenge!

Another amazing thing about the challenge is the number of people from countries all over the world who participated. Additionally, along with Andrew, I am super impressed. Not just with the challenge and it’s participants, but also with Andrew Parsons who put together an amazing challenge. WAY TO GO, ANDREW!
Click here for the full challenge results post.

You can still rock your skills!

Even though the “Know It. Prove It.” challenge has technically ended, you can still take part as the challenges and content are still available at the link below:
http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/knowitproveit
While the content will remain on the Microsoft Virtual Academy website, the “Know It. Prove It.” Challenge will only be available until March 25, 2015. Here’s what Andrew Parsons posted about the Challenge availability:

So, as I mentioned, I highly encourage you to add your challenge courses to your MVA Learning Plan. When we hit March 25, we’re going to shut down Know it. Prove it. for a while. That’s because there’s something new coming and we need to make space for it. But it also means you won’t have easy access to those courses unless you add them to your Learning Plan.

Did you start and/or complete a challenge?

If you’ve started or completed a challenge, or even are just starting one now, I’d love to hear from you! Please post a comment on this post.

During its big event on 01/21 Microsoft talked a lot about upcoming Windows 10, which should unify Windows on phones, tables, laptops and hybrid devices. There were in-depth presentations about Windows on phones and Windows on desktop. But there is one flavor of Windows which was suspiciously absent from the event – Windows RT. When Microsoft was asked if there will ever by Windows 10 RT they answered that Windows RT devices will be updated to give them some features of Windows 10, but they never mentioned if there will be a true Windows 10 RT. I guess the answer is negative.
Microsoft first introduced Windows  8 RT in late 2012 alongside Windows 8 Pro. Windows 8 RT was a version of Windows for ARM devices. It was somewhat similar to its “big brother” – Window 8 Pro, with one gaping exception – it didn’t support legacy (i.e. non Windows Store) applications. This exception is very understandable: it’s hardly possible to emulate x86 architecture on ARM. However, customers never truly accepted this daring new OS and Windows RT devices (from which were most well know Microsoft’s own Surface and Surface 2) never sell well. I think the biggest problem with Windows RT was marketing – it was marketed as Windows, devices looked like Windows computers and yet it wasn’t able to run familiar Windows software. A very confusing marketing.
I think it’s a pity that Windows RT never took off.  With this OS Microsoft tried to take clean slate approach to OS, cutting all legacy APIs. Although this approach somewhat limited OS potential, it also give this OS an advantage over its “big brother”.
– because Windows RT doesn’t support legacy application, it’s also immune against viruses and malware. Windows Store applications are securely sandboxed, Windows store is curated by Microsoft.
– Windows RT is super fast to boot up and wakes up in a fraction of a second. Yes, because it very light. I have Windows RT Surface and at times it’s faster than my Intel core 7 Windows 8.1 laptop.
– Windows RT devices can run on a low power devices, thus giving the case for a long battery life.
I think Windows RT should not be compared to Windows Pro. In fact, its natural competitor is … Chrome OS. Chrome OS is a very limited OS it’s nature, it’s just a web browser, but by giving away the features Chrome OS gained a lot of agility. For customers who can get by using only web application, it’s all that they need. In return, Chrome OS is offering good performance of cheap hardware and long battery life… just like Windows RT! In my opinion, Windows RT have a significant edge over Chrome OS though: it can run every web application, but it also can run native Windows Store application. For games, for example, native application will always beat a web-based one.
I hope Microsoft will find a case for Windows RT and will not sunset it.

We first heard last fall about Windows 10, Microsoft’s new operating system version. Today, we heard a whole lot more and personally, I’m thrilled!
The new vision for Windows is an operating system designed to deliver a singular, cohesive experience across a myriad of device types. Traditionally, Windows has been built for the PC. So, this is the first time that the operating system has been designed for a cloud and mobile-first world.
Windows 10 will run across an incredibly broad set of devices – from the Internet of Things, to servers in enterprise datacenters worldwide. Some of these devices have 4 inch screens – some have 80 inch screens – and some don’t have screens at all. Some of these devices you hold in your hand, others are ten feet away. Some of these devices you primarily use touch/pen, others mouse/keyboard, others controller/gesture – and some devices can switch between input types.
And across this breadth of devices, Microsoft is delivering one application platform for developers. Whether you’re building a game or a line of business application, there will be one way to write a universal app that targets the entire family. There will be one store, one way for applications to be discovered, purchased and updated across all of these devices. Awesome!
After we heard more in today’s announcement, here are my 7 reasons why you should be fired up too!
1. It’s FREE
Yes, you read that correctly. Free. As in, it doesn’t cost you a dime. For the first year, you can upgrade your Windows 7, 8.1, and even Windows Phone 8.1 to Windows 10. Simply download and install. This is a huge shift for Microsoft and one that will be welcomed by all consumers.
2. Cortana Voice Commands
Cortana voice assisted commands were first introduced on Windows Phone, now that same voice control experience is coming to the full OS. You’ll be able to tell Cortana to create a new meeting, load a website, play music, or start a Bing search.
3. Free Office
You mean I get more free stuff? Yes! You will also get a free copy of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on your phone or tablet. However, no word yet from Microsoft if this will include the desktop. Everyone likes free stuff and who doesn’t use Office? (it’s a trick question, answer is only Google employees)
4. Surface Hub
Do you need a better method to have engaged and productive meetings? Do you need to brainstorm and create with others? Do you want all of that on a large screen? Watch this video, I promise you’ll love the new Surface Hub!
 

5. Project Spartan
First, let me say, I love all of the Halo name references. If you played the game, you’ll understand and maybe it will make those college days spent in front of the Xbox seem productive. Spartan is the codename for Microsoft’s new browser. It will feature a new rendering engine “that will empower our next generation of Windows users on Windows 10,” Joe Belfiore, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President for its Operating Systems Group, said at today’s event. Spartan will include reading lists (think Pocket in your browser), a distraction-free reading mode and a built-in PDF viewer. It will also include support for Cortana. This means the browser will know about the sites your browsing, events you’re going to, upcoming flights, and directions to the restaurant your headed to tonight. Personally, I’m excited to move past IE. Some of you may even be jumping up and down at that thought!
6. Project Hololens
Microsoft’s version of holographic goggles, they will project Virtual Reality all over your daily tasks. No one has actually had their hands on these yet, so there’s a lot yet to be seen. But, check out the cool video from Microsoft.
 

7. Stream Xbox One Games
Microsoft’s new “Windows as a service” approach means more than just free Windows 10 upgrades; it’s also bringing game streaming from the Xbox One to PCs and tablets. There will be a new Xbox app for your desktop, tablet, or phone. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer took the stage to announce how system-level Xbox One features, like messages and the friends list, will integrate with Windows 10. “Gaming has become a much more social activity,” said Spencer during the presentation. “Gaming is personal.”
I can’t wait to see how soon Microsoft starts following these announcements up with previews. But, I for one, am super jazzed about the path they are taking Windows. The future is bright with Microsoft! Stay tuned to this blog for more updates.

With the end of life fast approaching, on July 14 2015, for Microsoft Server 2003 it will be hard for many organizations to make the move to a new Server Operating System, not unlike the pain many organizations are feeling with the move from Microsoft Windows XP.
There are many business related reasons that companies need to start now with their migration to server 2012R2. For example when customers made the move from Windows XP, many found they should have planned more in advance, because many migrations can take 8 months or longer depending on the size and complexity of the environment. Security alone should be a big enough business reason to move to a supported platform, in 2013 Microsoft released 37 critical updates for Windows Server 2003, once end of life happens there will not be any more patches released.  By not patching the server environment, you now run the risk malicious attacks, system bugs and PCI compliance.
The good news is that while the move might be painful,  in the long run it will be worth the trouble. Microsoft Server 2012R2 offers so many enhancements and new features, that once you have completed the migration and become familiar with Microsoft Server 2012R2 you will probably wonder why you waited so long.
Microsoft Server 2012R2 offers many enhancements, including

• PowerShell 4.0 – PowerShell 3.0 alone has 2300 more cmdlets than PowerShell 2.0
• Hyper-V 3.0 – Supports 64 processors and 1Tb of Memory. Also supports VHDX format for large disk capacity and live migrations
• SMB 3.02 – Server 2003 supports SMB 1.0
• Work Folders – Brings the functionality of Dropbox to your corporate servers
• Desired State Configuration – Lets you maintain server configuration across the board with baselines
• Storage Tiering – Dynamically move chunks of stored data between slower and higher drives
• Data Deduplication – Data compression and now with Server 2012R2 you can run Data Deduplication on Virtual Machines also is great for VDI environments.
• Workplace Join – Allows users to register personal devices with Active Directory gain certificate based authentication and single sign on to the domain.

You can see from just these features how far Microsoft Server OS has come over the last 10 years. Scalability, Speed, Virtualization, Mobile Device Management and Cloud Computing have been vastly improved or were not possible with Microsoft Server 2003.
With  current trends moving towards organizations embracing a user centric environment and moving to cloud computing, Server 2012R2 is a stepping stone in the right direction.
So while the migration to Microsoft Server 2012R2 may be painful, all will be forgotten once the organization and Server Administrators, can utilize the new features and notice the new ease of daily management activities.
 
 
 

If you’re a fan of the NFL, you will know that every team uses a series of camera’s at different angles to take snap shots of every play. Those images are relayed back to the teams on the sidelines and then are printed out on full pages. You might have seen classic images of your favorite quarterback flipping through them in between drives.
Here’s a picture of my favorite, Peyton Manning, looking perplexed as he flips the images.
This year, the NFL has decided to leave the stone ages of printing images on paper, and has chosen Microsoft to provide specially made Surface Tablets to every NFL team for viewing these images.
The tablets will be connected to their own private network inside each stadium with no outside internet access, so don’t expect sideline Tweets or Instagram pics. The pictures will be in full color and the tablet will allow coaches to zoom in or annotate with the Surface’s digital pen.
The deal for this year is to use the Surface 2, not the newer Surface 3. Presumably because the scrubbing of the machines and setup of the specialty services takes quite a bit of time. I would assume the NFL to get updated tablets each year.
What a great way to use modern technology! We at Perficient highly recommend the Surface 3. It’s a great device and can be a true laptop replacement for most business users. If you haven’t seen the new model, check out this cool intro video.
 

From yesterday’s announcement:

Salesforce will support Windows, Windows 8.1, build “interoperability Salesforce and Office 365,” Microsoft’s subscription-based productivity suite, and integrate OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online, and Outlook in various capacities. Salesforce will use Microsoft’s Azure broadly.

Who would have ever thought there would be a picture containing both a Microsoft CEO and Mark Benioff (Salesforce.com CEO)? Though they are in the same picture they are not hugging. Interesting bedfellows to say the least! Most of these decisions come down to money. A better way for Microsoft to make money and for their customers to take advantage of their investment.
As many of you know, Salesforce.com was started by Oracle executives, Oracle executives/former executives continue to be large investors and the system backbone is written on top of the Oracle database engine. So though there is a partnership there won’t be any ownership happening anytime soon (for those in the M&S conspiracy business).  Salesforce.com by the way also has a very strong partnership with Google as well (which has a competing solution to Microsoft Office 365).
In the announcement article on CRN, Jeff Davis, CEO of Perficient, is quoted. You can read the full article here. As you may or may not know, Perficient is both in the Salesforce.com and Microsoft Dynamics CRM business. Though these are direct and major competitors it is just a part of the all up solution for our customers – and it’s important that our customers have options.
Salesforce was looking for a platform and Microsoft is a platform and software company. For our non-Dynamics CRM customers that are currently utilizing or looking to utilize Office 365, SharePoint, OneDrive and more, this will be a nice opportunity for better communication between the system and Saleforce.com. It will allow (at some level) for Salesforce.com users to have better access to their documents and related tools to be able to be more productive in their jobs. This will be better than today where there is limited to no interoperability but is in no way as good as a native Microsoft technology like Dynamics CRM.
So what does this mean for our Dynamics CRM customers? This means Microsoft will have to continue to strongly invest in the future of this technology to make it stronger, faster, smarter than it has ever been before. It will help enable our customers to be more productive and efficient with the tool in order to increase revenue for their organizations. It will mean that more extraordinary things are coming and soon from the Dynamics team at Microsoft because that is what we expect and that is what our customer’s continue to demand. It is an exciting time to be part of this space for both us and our customers.
This partnership fits well with Microsoft’s continued cloud first and mobile first strategy. Azure is continuing to gain momentum as the cloud choice for major software vendors like Oracle and Salesforce.com. Microsoft will continue to compete head to head against Salesforce.com as they always have. It will force Microsoft to continue to be very good with the innovation. It also validates the “One Microsoft” strategy.
There is an awesome and amazing line-up of things to come from Microsoft for Dynamics CRM. With the CRM 2013 release and now the spring release of Dynamics CRM, Dynamics CRM is a valuable offer and at an incredible price point.
As they said in The Godfather Part II, “…keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

If you are a one of those consumers that has held on to Windows XP and hasn’t made the jump to a new PC yet, consider this… don’t do it! Instead, bite the bullet and spend that little extra to move to a tablet based computer. There is another trend sweeping the market (other than the changes of the operating systems) – that classic PC desktop is quickly becoming a thing of the past. It won’t be long before we all look back and those big square boxes that take up all that table or floor space will be just a memory, something to talk about with our grandchildren. There has never been a better time for a consumer to move to from a traditional PC to a tablet, especially someone who is replacing their XP computer.
Tablets come in a variety of styles, sizes and operating system choices. The main thing to consider when moving to a tablet from XP is making sure it will do the things you used your XP computer to do. For example, if you run specific software, you’ll need to look into making sure the software is compatible with that tablet’s operating system and that the tablet has enough power to run it. Tablets come as small as the palm of your hand to as large as a modern laptop. My favorite is actually the hybrid laptop tablet combo. These have the mechanics and the power of laptops that include the keyboard and standard laptop ports but the displays are touch screen and reverse to convert into a tablet. These are a little more expensive and heavier than typical tablets but are a good choice for those who use their computer extensively for work related functions and tasks.
Tablets come in a variety of operating systems to choose from – the good news and bad news is none of them are like Windows XP. The reason I say it is good or bad is because since all the new OS’s are not like Windows XP, you can freely choose which new platform to go to because you will have to learn any one of them. You have basically 3 choices: Windows 8, Apple iOS (iPad), or Android (comes in a variety of flavors). If you’re looking for budget that will do basic functions like reading eBooks, surfing the Internet or social media, than the Android based tablet would be a good choice. If you need to stick with better performance and are needing MS Office, Outlook email, typical business apps than either Windows 8 or Apple iOS would work. Check to make sure that Apple iOS is compatible to all the things you need.
In conclusion, there really hasn’t been a better excuse or time for someone to transition to using a tablet than for someone still using the XP OS. It’s most likely that the tablet will do what you need it to do, especially because XP is pretty limited when compared with the newer operating systems. Whatever you decide, just make sure you are starting that process now, making backups of your files on your XP machine, and looking into the market for the new device. You never know when that first nasty bug will do  to all your files when it hits your outdated, unsupported XP machine,  so we know for sure staying on XP is not a good idea long term. XP users, I guess it’s time to go shopping. What are you going to purchase?

# 5 – Familiarity
One of the reasons organizations have tended to stay with XP for so long is their employees are familiar with it. Like an old friend, it’s comfortable and easy to deal with. However churn among your IT administrators and other employees has changed the dynamic. Most people are now more familiar with newer operating systems. When new associates sit down in front of XP, it is likely to be dramatically different (and disappointing) than the more up to date operating systems they use at home and at their previous job.
#4 – Speed and Productivity
Windows XP typically takes at least 30 seconds to boot and often much longer. Windows 8.1 can boot in about 10 seconds. That 20 seconds can easily turn into 5 minutes or more of lost productivity every day when you walk away to do something else while XP boots.
#3 – Web Browsers and New Applications
More applications, business and personal, will be developed to be used via a web browser. It takes extra time to develop new applications which are compatible with old browser versions. Over the short term, many new applications just won’t work with XP.
#2 – Office 2013 and Office 365
Office 2013 and Office 365 ProPlus are not supported on Windows XP. Office 365 only supports software and operating systems which are still in mainstream support. The cloud and other popular software packages are leaving you behind!
 
(Drumroll please…)
#1 – Security
The XP operating system came to market in 2001. Time Warner and AOL merged that year. Although XP lasted longer than that disaster, the security implications of sticking with XP any longer could likely create a security disaster in your desktop environment. Hackers now know every way to compromise your OS. Do you think they are not already taking advantage of this potential bonanza?
 Conclusion
Don’t put it off any longer. Perficient has the experience and talented staff to help you ease this transition.

The Windows XP end of life support deadline has come and gone as of April 8^th… now what?
End of support means that software updates for Windows XP will no longer be distributed by Microsoft or its hardware partners. This includes security updates that help protect PCs from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software that can steal or damage personal information. It also includes maintenance updates that improve reliability and performance and ensure that Windows XP works well with other software and hardware.
Microsoft is offering assistance to get you old XP Operating System data updated and all of your data migrated to Windows 7, 8, or 8.1. Microsoft has provided a FREE tool to assist customers with migrating their data from their old outdated PC to a new Windows PC.
Some key features include:
Easy to use
The PCmover Express for Windows XP step-by-step wizard makes setting up a new PC simple. Download the software onto your new PC and old Windows XP computer to transfer your data and files. The wizard takes it from there, helping you along the way.
Select what you transfer
You can easily transfer all or selected folders, user profiles, and settings from your old Windows XP computer to your new PC.* And if you’ve already personalized settings and preferences on your new PC, those won’t be affected when you transfer your data. *The free data transfer will not migrate your apps.
24/7 Free transfer assistance
More information and the download to the data transfer tool can be found at the following site: Link
 

Microsoft finally ended support for Windows XP, its end of life happened April 8^th 2014. So what does this mean for those of us still on Windows XP?  No more support, hot fixes, and patches? Well not really, Microsoft will be creating patches and security updates for years ahead. But like everything it has a cost.
Most who know this, think ‘great I am glad I can still get support but how?’ Microsoft has Custom Support programs that are designed for large customers. According to the information I have seen there is an annual cost that increases each year, and is approximately $200 per machine for the first year. Now at first that does not seem too crazy, but this can get quite expensive if you have 10,000 Windows XP machines, that would cost a company $2,000,000 for one year of support “WOW!”. The expert analysts are saying that Patches rated at Critical  will be included in this support but Bugs marked as Important will come with an extra cost, and anything rated lower will not be patched at all.
Customers will receive hotfixes in a secure process, Microsoft will only make the information available to the companies that are enrolled in the Custom Support program. Typically Microsoft will enable Custom Support agreements for up to three years after the end of life of an Operating System.
What is interesting is that even though end of life has happened for Windows XP and Microsoft has the Custom Support Program available, they still seem to be doing some limited support. For example the vulnerability that was exploited in IE Windows XP machines.  Microsoft decided to patch Windows XP machines that are outside of the Custom Support Program for this vulnerability. Microsoft states that the patch was created and released because it occurred so close to the end of Windows XP, as stated in this BlogPost released by Microsoft.
It’s great that you can still get support for your Windows XP machines, but the cost associated with being a retired Operating System should make any company want to make a leap to Windows 7 or 8 as soon as possible. Fortunately Microsoft has many tools in place to make these moves so much easier then they were in the days of Windows XP. For example with SCCM 2012 you can keep your machines current with OS, Patches, Antivirus and Software just to name a few features, and it can all be automated.
If your company is still on Windows XP and you have not started to move off of it, now is the time to start moving from where you are today, to where you need to be in the future.  This starts with planning, proper infrastructure and tools. If done properly companies can stay current for many years to come.
 
 
 

Now that Windows XP end of life is here, if you are one of those companies still hanging on, there’s likely a bit of panic on what exactly to do. Well there is good news, bad news, and then some more good news. If you are in an industry that has heavy governing compliance, like healthcare, you need to be a little more concerned because you are now in violation of regulations.
If you are not under the microscope of government compliance, then you need not fear. There isn’t going to be any major concern if you don’t jump immediately, but you probably want to begin planning, and make the move within the next year.
If you are one of those heavily regulated companies with big brother looking over your shoulder, than guess what? Time to get the show on the road. Since you don’t have a lot of time, here’s some good advice to get the job done smoothly and quickly without a lot of headache:

1. System Center Configuration Manager 2012 – With this Microsoft tool, you will be able to perform Zero Touch installations for your whole organization fairly quickly. The key to leveraging this tool to its fullest is getting your SCCM infrastructure scaled properly and your applications packaged quickly. This product can also manage devices if a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) ends up being the path taken.
2. Go with Windows 7 – With Windows 7, you’ll still have a similar look and feel to XP, which end users are used to. Going to an entirely new platform like Windows 8 requires more time and will likely also require a lot more training and transitioning with end users. Sticking with something familiar will reduce the shock to the end user base.
3. Out with the old & in with the new – If it has been awhile since you have introduced new desktops and laptops, this would be a good time to bite the bullet and have it done. Most manufactures offer programs to preload your company images and apps, leaving only the task of migrating the user data. Also, this might be a good time to go with a BYOD solution, where you virtualize the apps and stream to the device the users choose. SCCM can manage this out of the box.
4. KIS (keep it simple ) – Companies nowadays have allowed complexity to run riot. Unfortunately, I have seen an exorbitant amount of time and money spent because of bureaucracy, rather than the actual time doing the work. If you are one of those companies that fell into the trap of losing the balance between security and flexibility due to an absence of checks and balances, well… I feel your pain. This has become a disease that has infected the IT world and has become the cause of so much complexity and profit loss for very little benefit. It’s hard to fathom (and I will save this for another blog). Get the right project team, with individuals that are high enough up the corporate ladder to make decisions across multiple departments. In other words, your CIO might need to be little more involved in this one. Also, go with the new methods, approaches and technology platforms. The need for massive testing labs and creating a bare metal image for every department is over. All your testing and image development can be done through a few simple virtual instances, secured and managed by SCCM 2012 security.
5. The right team – One of the biggest mistakes I’ve recently experienced was simply having the wrong people managing the project. Windows desktops are best managed by Microsoft Windows professionals, not by the guy who used to manage the development department that can only think Agile. Agile and Microsoft infrastructure don’t mix well, and you will only add complexity and prolong a fairly straight forward task that needs to be completed.

If you are looking for a consulting team, find one with System Center 2012 experience. This will make the job so much more pleasant and easy to carry out.
That said, I know I’m leaving out a lot of information, but I think I have touched on the most important things to consider if you need to get your company migrated quickly. The most important thing to remember is, go after the Goliath first, as once that is out of the way, everything else will likely run smooth. If you ignore the Goliath, well… good luck.

After a twelve-year run, the end of life for Windows XP is finally here. So what does this mean for those on XP still? Well in a nutshell support and updates will no longer be available, many machines will be unprotected, out of compliance and will open the door for vulnerabilities.
The big question going forward is do I make the big jump to Windows 8, and get the latest operating system or do I go with the small leap to Windows 7. Typically this comes down to company culture, strict business needs or are the architecture and deployment tools in place to make this all happen.
Jumping to a new Operating System is never easy or painless, there are many things to take into consideration hardware, application compatibility, deployment methods, training etc. Thankfully Microsoft has tools available to help aid in the process, ACT (Application Compatibility Tool Kit) MAP (Microsoft Assessment and Planning) SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager) to name a few.
This is  all great, here I am stuck on Windows XP an Operating System that is no longer supported, what should I  do move to Windows 7 or go to Windows 8?
Let’s start with making the move to Windows 7. A lot of customers find this an easier pill to swallow for a few reasons.

• Familiarity between Windows XP and windows 7
• Windows 7 is a proven Operating System
• Application compatibility with older apps
• Most hardware that Windows XP is running on will support Windows 7
• Deployment tools SCCM 2007 is optimized for Windows 7 deployments.
• Extend support of Windows 7 until 2020

Moving to Windows 8 is not an easy jump to make from Windows XP. But there are some great features in Windows 8 to take into consideration for example.

• Runs Application and Apps
• Better touch Screen capabilities
• Faster boot and shut downs
• Better networking capabilities
• Flexible hardware options
• OneDrive Integration
• Windows to Go
• OMA-DM capabilities
• Sideloading LOB Apps
• Work Folders
• Workplace Join
• Drive encryption
• Extended support of Windows 8 until 2023

Typically the largest deciding factor when moving from Windows XP to the next operating system, has been similarity in the interface between Windows XP and Windows 7. Allot of companies have found they get less push back from their users and more productivity by taking the step to Windows 7, this seems to be a more natural progression. That being said Windows 8 is an excellent Operating System, it’s just going to take some time or training to get the users comfortable. What really it all boils down to is company culture, how as a company do you treat your users are they hand held or do does the company have control.
One item that has been become a big rumor, and  aiding in the decisions for many companies, is the upcoming release of Windows 9, code-named Threshold – supposedly to launch in the spring of 2015. Some of the rumors state this will have a more Windows 7 ish look and feel. My guess is only time will tell.
All of this reminds me of when Windows XP was the Operating System of choice, then Vista came along and did not have a strong adoption. With the release of Windows 7 made companies skip Vista altogether.
Over all there is not right or wrong answer to whether to use Windows 7 or Windows 8, Just decisions. I feel like we are losing an old friend with the support for Windows XP upon us.