What step should you take before upgrading or migrating to a new operating system?

When we work with users who are making the transition to Windows 10, we often see users delighted over some of the productivity-enhancing features. Here are some of the highlights:

Task View

Task View allows you to efficiently work with multiple apps and quickly access previous activities on the timeline.

Snipping Tool

Sometimes a screenshot is worth a thousand words, and many users still don’t know how to do this. The delay feature is especially handy if you need to go pull down a menu or hover over something before the shot is taken.

The Start Menu

Apps, settings, files, all can easily be found on the Start menu. Less time spent finding stuff, more time spent getting good work done. Your organization can get huge value out of helping users customize the Start menu just right to support the workflow. Bear in mind that the out-of-the-box start menu can be overwhelming and confusing.

Splitting Windows with Snap Assist

With Windows 10, you can split and resize windows more efficiently than ever before. Snap assist makes it frankly kind of fun; it’s satisfying (and effective) when those windows slide into place and you can get on with your work.

Easily Add a Printer

Click the Start menu and type “printer.” Then follow the logical steps the rest of the way. It’s never been easier for a user to set up a printer.

What step should you take before upgrading or migrating to a new operating system?

In conclusion, upgrading your company’s software to Windows 10 is a great business decision. Windows 10 is now the default operating system and future updates are not likely to include past versions of the software. It is important to begin planning an upgrade strategy as soon as you can, the support deadline for past versions of Windows is rapidly approaching (January 14, 2020).

No matter what industry you are in, from healthcare and medicine to finance and banking, the choice to upgrade is a step in the right direction. The differences between Windows 10 and past versions of the software (like Windows 7) are well worth the investment. The switch will only increase business efficiency and collaboration efforts.

Windows 10 is easy to use and the software can be quickly learned by your employees. Providing them with additional training and information will only increase their learning potential while enhancing their skills sets and overall confidence with the system.

While this guide may not have covered every single application or tool available to your business in Windows 10, it includes some of the most basic and useful pieces of information to consider when planning to integrate the software within your organization. Give us a call today, or fill out the form below, for a consultation on how to integrate Windows 10 and its applications into your business and how to train your employees for success.

What step should you take before upgrading or migrating to a new operating system?

IT can take a few steps to make the move to Windows 10 easier on users, including considering an in-place upgrade and holding off on any other major changes.

Upgrading to a new operating system can be a jarring experience for end users, but there are some steps IT professionals can take to help users with the transition to Windows 10.

To start a Windows 10 rollout plan, IT should let users know what to expect. It's not fair to have users come into the office on Monday morning to discover that everything on their PCs has completely changed over the weekend without warning. Letting the users know when the migration will take place, and providing some basic information on how to use Windows 10, can go a long way toward making users lives easier.

Even if an organization lacks the resources to provide users with formal training or documentation, something as simple as a how-to YouTube video can be immensely helpful to users who might not have worked with Windows 10 before.

Consider an in-place upgrade

IT may also be able to perform an in-place upgrade rather than a migration. In most cases, an in-place upgrade preserves the user's personal settings, applications and any data he might have saved on the PC, which makes the transition to Windows 10 easier to swallow.

An in-place upgrade is not always possible, however. Organizations that wish to switch Windows editions -- from Home to Pro -- or architectures -- from 32-bit to 64-bit -- usually won't be able to perform an in-place migration. Other conditions, such as insufficient disk space, can also rule out an in-place upgrade.

Make changes in waves

Consider giving users time to get accustomed to the new OS before making any major OS-level changes that they will notice.

Another way IT can help users feel more comfortable during the transition to Windows 10 is to resist the temptation to change too many things at the same time. Even though it might be convenient for IT to upgrade Windows and a few key applications all at once, doing so can be overwhelming for some users. Consider upgrading to Windows 10 and then giving the users a few weeks to get used to the change before upgrading line-of-business applications.

Similarly, consider giving users time to get accustomed to the new OS before making any major OS-level changes that they will notice after the transition to Windows 10. If, for example, IT pros want to use biometric authentication as a part of the transition to Windows 10, they should perform the OS upgrade and then implement biometric authentication a few weeks later, after everyone has a chance to get used to the new OS.

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