SMEs warned to take care when upgrading to Windows 7

The launch of Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system is less than a week away, but SMEs considering upgrading have been warned to think carefully about how the change will affect their core business operations.

Craig Dennis, director of the consulting services division of Australian Project & Consulting Services, says businesses need to realise upgrading is a complicated process.

“Fundamentally, when you’re upgrading, the biggest issue is interrupting your business. There is a difference between casually upgrading your home PC when you can tolerate not having a computer for a day, than upgrading your business where computers could be down for an extended period.”

The warning comes as Microsoft prepares to launch its Windows 7 operating system next week, the first since the critically-panned Windows Vista was released in early 2007. The company has put large amounts of development into the OS, with many tech analysts labeling it one of the company’s best.

Dennis recommends businesses spend time with their IT professionals setting up a timeline for upgrading their operating systems, including a rigorous testing program.

“Testing is a good thing, because you might find that one of your applications that worked on Windows XP may not work with Windows 7.”

“Also, for people upgrading from Windows XP which a lot of businesses are doing, there is a whole different user experience. Some training will be needed, and you may need to account for a drop in productivity for a week or so.”

Dennis also says businesses need to ensure their IT departments are well-equipped to handle major upgrades of several computer systems, especially when extra employees are required.

“From an IT perspective, you need to be sure that all of your machines are capable of running Windows 7. It’s fair to say that just because a computer runs Windows XP does not mean it can run Windows 7, so make sure your specs are fine.”

“The other thing is to absolutely make sure you have everything backed up before you upgrade. If anything goes wrong, your machine and data is at risk. You need to be as conservative as you possibly can about your data when upgrading.”

Despite the warnings, Dennis says Windows 7 is an improvement on the popular Windows XP and that businesses should definitely consider the hassle of updating their machines.

“Windows 7 is the best operating system I’ve seen for a long time. If you’re using Windows Vista and you are happy, then there may not be a reason to upgrade. But if you’re running Windows XP I think there is a genuine reason to be thinking about it, if not in the short-term then in the next three to six months.”