In advance of the worldwide launch of Windows 7 next week, Dell is unveiling a new series of Windows 7 consulting, management and support services to help companies and organizations better prepare migration plans to the new operating system. The consulting and services offerings are designed to help businesses of any size efficiently migrate to Windows 7 with fixed-scope consulting engagements to help them save money and time.

The company also announced that Dell Latitude laptops, Dell OptiPlex desktops and Dell Precision workstations are ready to ship with Windows 7 on Oct. 22. Dell also said that it would begin taking preorders of commercial laptops and desktops with Windows 7 installed beginning Oct. 18.

Best Practices for Windows 7 Deployment
Dell has designed, deployed and supported select customers in Windows 7 early adopter programs including Baker-Tilly, Betfair and Hoover City Schools. In addition, Dell currently has more than a thousand Windows 7 pilot users internally. The Dell Global Services organization documented these early migration experiences to enhance its consulting and services offerings with key learnings, proven methods and reference architectures that customers will benefit from as they consider migrating to the new operating system.

Windows 7 Readiness Consulting
Dell’s Windows 7 Readiness Assessment helps organizations understand the requirements and challenges of migrating to a new platform and jointly creates a plan to efficiently deploy Windows 7. Part of the Dell ProConsult services portfolio, the new assessment service uses electronic discovery, Web-based surveys, best practices, comparative data and reference architectures for a short, effective consulting engagement.

Dell works with customers to assess if their systems are capable of running Windows 7, which applications are being used and which are compatible with Windows 7. Ensuring application compatibility is critical to a smooth migration, especially for browser-based applications, and Dell can assist customers in compiling and creating an inventory, assessment, remediation, and finally packaging and deployment of a solution. Dell also helps customers understand the impact of migrating on critical business processes, end users, as well as server and network infrastructures. Using the results of the assessment, Dell works with customers to design an implementation plan, including providing training for end-users & IT support staff.

Dell services are fine-tuned to address the specific IT pain points of OS migrations and have significant, proven experience in OS and data migrations. Dell patented technologies can help provide scalable and simplified image management, increased end user productivity and satisfaction, visibility and velocity of problem resolution, and process and tool flexibility for both deployment of new systems and re-deployment of existing assets.

These services are available through Dell and members of Dell’s Partner Direct program.

Commercial Laptops and Desktops Ready for Windows 7
Dell’s line of OptiPlex desktops, Latitude laptops and Dell Precision workstations are tested and compatible with Windows 7. In addition, the company offers drivers for many of its laptops and desktops so that volume license customers can deploy or test them in their IT environment. Dell will offer commercial laptops and desktops with Windows 7 beginning Oct. 22 and will begin to take preorders on Oct. 18.

It’s well documented that the current economic environment has led to a very frugal approach to IT spending. However, keeping laptops and desktops in circulation for more than four years can lead to higher maintenance and energy costs and can reduce employee productivity. According to IDC, IT organizations may be incurring operating costs as much as 20.5 percent higher than necessary to acquire, manage and decommission their desktop and notebook PC equipment when comparing tightly managed three-year life cycles with less systematic, longer-span life cycle management strategies.

Also, J. Gold Associates says that keeping a laptop in circulation for years four and five can cost organizations $9,600 in lost end-user productivity and the cost to fix a laptop not under warranty can reach $1,425.

To provide evidence of lost employee productivity, Dell commissioned a performance study that compares current Latitude laptops products to similar models that are three and four years old. Examples of the results include:

• The battery life of a Latitude E4300 laptop running Windows 7 lasts up to 85 percent longer than a Latitude D620, a 3-year-old system, running Windows XP.
• The Latitude E6400 running Windows 7 offers up to 63 percent better performance than a Latitude D620 running Windows XP.
• With a Dell Latitude E6400 E-family laptop you can reduce boot time by up to 29% compared to a previous generation Latitude laptop.
   [October 20, 2009]
  
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