From December 2004 users of Windows NT 4, widely regarded as the first fully stable and reliable Microsoft server operating system, will cease to receive support from Microsoft. While this event may not seem like a catastrophe to companies with internal IT support departments, it will mean an end to all patches and upgrades for the operating system.
"NT 4 has had a long and successful run and was instrumental in cementing Microsoft`s leadership position in the server operating system market," says Bernard Donnelly, consulting services manager at Unisys Africa. "Unfortunately, technology has moved on and Microsoft`s latest server operating environments offer tremendous value for money as well as important improvements over NT 4 in areas such as scalability, reliability and security. Companies not wishing to be caught between a rock and a hard place come December need to quickly consider what they need to do to safely migrate to a new platform."
For companies with just one or two servers, the migration will not be a major issue: they should be able to do it over a weekend. However, many organisations in SA have a multitude, even hundreds of NT 4 servers and they may not be aware of the magnitude of the conversion task ahead of them, or the migration options available to them.
To support clients in effectively planning their migration strategy, Unisys has developed its NT 4 Migration Assessment Service (MAS). More than merely an electronic asset locator and register, MAS addresses a fundamental need in IT departments for reliable information on the status of its corporate servers.
"Using tools we developed to assist customers in server consolidation projects, Unisys is helping clients assess the scope of their NT 4 problem by performing a rapid analysis of their computing estate," says Donnelly. "It only takes two weeks for MAS to gather enough information to assist in the development of an optimal migration strategy. The software works behind the scenes, ensuring users are not prevented from working while the audit is running, and leaves no trace of its presence once finished."
During the two-week engagement, the Unisys software electronically surveys all computers on a client`s network, identifying all those running NT 4. It then gathers information on the hardware configuration of each machine and takes an inventory of the applications running on it.
Analysis of this information enables users to assess the risk to which they are exposed. In many cases a simple hardware or software upgrade will be all that is needed to make the change, but there are always some computers in every organisation that can not be upgraded. Armed with this information clients can develop an action plan for upgrading equipment or replacing those computers that cannot support the new platforms.
"December is a long way off, but for some companies a few months is a tight deadline if they are to migrate their hardware, software and data to new servers without disrupting operations," Donnelly concludes. "Unisys has determined that if large corporations have not started their migration by the end of June, they may not make it in time."
Share
Unisys is a worldwide IT services and solutions company. Our people combine expertise in consulting, systems integration, outsourcing, infrastructure and server technology with precision thinking and relentless execution to help clients, in more than 100 countries, quickly and efficiently achieve competitive advantage. For more information, visit www.unisys.co.za.
Editorial contacts