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Flexera Introduces Software Suite To Smooth Transition To Windows 7: Page 2 of 3

The next step is determining which of the remaining applications are compatible with Windows 7. A Flexera report states that only 30 percent to 50 percent of  Windows XP apps run in Windows 7 without some modification. (The suite is focused on XP-to-Windows 7 migration because Vista, the Windows OS that came between them, is little used in the enterprise.)

AdminStudio Suite rates compatibility on a green/amber/red scale, like a traffic light. Green means an app is compatible with Windows 7, amber means adjustments can be made to make the app compatible, and red means the app is incompatible.

Step four covers planning the migration project, particularly deciding which priority applications should be migrated first. The migration will take time, Polte says, and it's not as simple as shutting off XP one day and returning to work the next day running Windows 7. "You need to align your project to your business priorities," she says.

Step five involves fixing compatibility issues, including editing apps and packaging the apps with the operating system, as well as making an image of the package that can be deployed in virtualization environments using Microsoft App-V, VMware ThinApp or Cirtrix XenApp. Step six is deployment of the new OS.

A December 2010 Gartner report on migration programs said that automated migration tools can reduce the time it takes for application testing and remediation by 40 percent or more.