9 Clicks for Windows XP to 7 migrations over LAN & WAN using VMware Mirage

Why Migrate

Microsoft has declared end of support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014.
No updates available from Microsoft, so new vulnerabilities discovered in Windows XP after its “end of life” will not be addressed by new security updates from Microsoft.
Attackers will be more active as defenders (MS) is not watching it’s back for Win XP.

Your Known Traditional way

User is intimated for giving laptop/desktop (called as endpoint) to IT team for OS migration.
User takes data backup himself.
User gives Endpoint to IT team & roams around till he/she gets the endpoint back.
IT manually/automatically (with some imaging software) format endpoint with Windows 7 image.
Adding to domain.
Dumping data back into C: drive in a backup folder (Most likely IT misses to take backup of the favorites/Bookmarks).
IT returns the Endpoint to user after 2-3 hours of activity.
User takes some time to return back in production as he struggles to locate his files. Sometimes printer missing or his custom installed applications are missing.

In a nutshell, End user is unproductive all the time IT takes for Migration and also after that for couple of days.

Modern way with VMware

On Mirage Server (8 Mouse Clicks)
In Mirage Console, Click on XP to Windows 7 Migration.
Select Base image to apply & click next.
Select Endpoint’s you want to migrate (I can select all at same time) & click on select button & click next.
Validated results will be shown in case of any mismatch to be fixed. Click next.
Click on finish on final screen.

On Endpoint (1 Mouse Click)

User continues to work. Mirage is pushing the binaries for migration in the background over network .
Please note, files are transferred using network deduplication making sure no local files are re-transferred. Also Branch reflector enables peer-to-peer image download.
Once all bits are downloaded on user’s endpoint, user gets a popup to reboot for migration.
User clicks on Reboot now Option.
Endpoint reboots and migrates from XP to Windows 7. It takes around 20-40 minutes for migration.
One more reboot required by OS after applying the changes.
After reboot user can login into its new Windows 7 image.
Watch out video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfedbA552GI

Benefits

User is productive all the time.
End user experience remains intact.
All data, bookmarks , Wall paper etc is intact.
If user doesn’t like windows 7, he can be reverted back to his same windows XP image.
1500 Endpoints can be migrated in one short.

Above migration using VMware Horizon Mirage can be done OVER WAN AS WELL and this is the uniqueness of this solution.