How compatible are your applications?
Adopting a new operating system in an enterprise environment is never a simple undertaking, but the Windows 7 operating system was designed to ease application compatibility as much as possible. Assessing the compatibility of your applications depends largely on what operating system your enterprise is currently running.
Windows Vista customers: For customers on Windows Vista moving to Windows 7, the effort required to test and validate applications will be substantially reduced compared to moving from Windows XP to Windows 7. The majority of applications that already work on Windows Vista will continue to work on Windows 7 with little or no issues due to the underlying similarity of the two operating systems and efforts by Microsoft and its partners to provide compatibility. For example, application updates created for Windows Vista can be applied to Windows 7 as well.
Windows XP and Windows 2000 customers: Microsoft recommends that these customers work closely with their Microsoft sales representatives to help them get ready for Windows 7, as there are additional steps that need to be taken to mitigate application compatibility if your organization decides to skip Windows Vista.
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We've found very few application compatibility issues. Up to 98 percent of our applications run well on Windows 7 without any work on our part, and it's been easier to mitigate or resolve the few issues that have arisen than it was with previous operating
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Ease planning with innovative tools
The majority of applications that already work on Windows Vista will continue to work on Windows 7 due to the underlying similarity of the two operating systems. So, as a first step, your IT department can begin using the following tools to assess the compatibility of applications with Windows 7.
Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT): ACT enables software developers, independent software vendors (ISVs), and IT professionals who work in a corporate environment to inventory their applications, determine whether their applications are compatible with a new version of the Windows operating system, and apply compatibility fixes to incompatible applications.
Windows Vista Application List: To evaluate your environment's application readiness for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista, browse this list of over 8,000 applications with Windows Vista compatibility status.
Minimize application compatibility using virtualization tools
In some cases, key business applications are not yet compatible or supported on Windows 7. If you cannot get a version of the application to run natively on Windows 7 or mitigation is deemed too costly or time-intensive, there are new desktop virtualization tools to allow you to transition from older versions of Windows to Windows 7.
Windows 7 enables users to seamlessly run a virtual Windows XP environment through Windows Virtual PC. Older applications can operate in their supported operating system, removing the barriers to OS upgrade. Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V), a core component of Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance (MDOP), adds the capabilities required for IT-managed deployments of virtual PCs, including virtual image delivery, policy-based provisioning, and centralized management and monitoring.
Ease deployment with Windows 7
There are several enhancements to the overall imaging, deployment, and migration experience in Windows 7. New tools enable organizations to easily create and manage single, globally-supported system images, quickly deliver those images in network-based deployments, and rapidly migrate user files and settings from the previously operating system into Windows 7. Automated solutions enable direct migration from Windows XP or Windows Vista to Windows 7 while retaining and migrating user data on the same computer. The entire process—data migration, operating system installation, driver and application specialization, domain configuration, and more—is supported by task integration tools like the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit and System Center Configuration Manager 2007. Also before you deploy, use the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit to assess hardware and device compatibility of your existing client computers.