There Are Four Main Areas Which Require Technical Expertise at the Desktop

Information Technology Preparing the Desktop Migration from Novell to Microsoft May 4, 2018

Overview

Current technology at University of Louisville integrates a wide range of computer resources. Centralized applications are available for email, anti- virus, SPAM filtering, as well as file and print sharing. The interface for all of these resources is the personal computer (desktop). Migrating from the Novell family of products to the more widely-supported Microsoft products will affect every desktop at the university.

There are four main areas which require technical expertise at the desktop:  Active Directory – PCs will need to be added to the university domain

 Anti-virus – the current anti-virus client will need to be replaced; Forefront will be bundled with the Microsoft Client Access License that includes Exchange  GroupWise Archives – a special process will be provided to transfer archives to a centrally managed system  Exchange – an email client will need to be installed

 Single sign-on (optional) – the current single sign-on client will need to be replaced

Information Technology is recommending a five phase process for the migration from Novell to Microsoft:  Assessment – data gathering to determine the current state of technology

 Review – present results of assessment to stakeholders and evaluate information

 Planning - develop implementation plan and time line

 Implementation – perform university-wide migration

 Confirmation – review implementation and confirm migration is completed

The migration to a Microsoft infrastructure is a huge undertaking, affecting every system and desktop at U of L. It will require the support of university administrators and the full cooperation of the Tier I community. The time line for migration of all desktops and clients is approximately 16 months – September 2010 – December 2011. The attached plan includes the recommended process for addressing the migration to Active Directory.

Assessment Phase April – May 2010 Review current environment and determine readiness of departments to migrate. Determine any gaps that may complicate or delay the project.  Review status of Active Directory in all departments and determine their current level of readiness

 Review system specifications and pre-requisites for installation including updates for Windows 7, Mac and other operating systems

 Review Active Directory Workstation Naming Convention. Document is accessible from Active Directory web page. Ensure departments are in compliance

 Determine departments with unique needs (library or Dental School, for example)

 Confirm impact to remote/home users

 Clarify support for various web browsers

 Identify issues with systems used by multiple people

 Authenticate impact on affiliated organizations (UL Hospital or UPA for example)

 Review and update, if needed, Active Directory web page at http://louisville.edu/it/accounts/active-directory

An assessment report will be created which includes number of departments, confirmation of number to be migrated and level of department readiness.

Review Phase June 2010 Data gathered in the assessment phase will be reviewed, and presented to key stakeholders. A recommendation with any changes to this process will be created.

Planning Phase July – August 2010 Based on the assessment report this phase will be used to coordinate dates that will provide the best available transition time for the department and IT.

 Create transition process

 Develop training requirements Desktop Migration Process

 Review documentation for changes

 Schedule training for Tier 1

 Implement 90, 60, 30 day communications

 Determine available resources

 Provide options for units which lack Tier 1 support

 Create project plan

Working with affected IT areas a specific project plan will be created. This plan will attempt to provide best possible time lines for both IT and the customer.

Implementation Phase September 2010 – April 2011 In this phase IT will oversee the implementation of Active Directory university-wide. After a department is migrated, feedback will be solicited and assessed. Processes will be adjusted to remediate any issues encountered.

 Provide training, knowledge transfer and best-practice information

 Supply transition schedule to schools/units/affiliates

 Monitor client rollout in departments

 Survey customers for feedback

 Identify and implement process improvements if needed

The project plan will be available to track the process of the migration. It will show number of departments migrated and percent of project completed.

Confirmation Phase May – June 2011 Understanding the success of this project is heavily reliant on the technical support of individual departments, this phase will allow time for IT to review the project and ensure that the migration is 100% complete.

 Confirm with customers that migration in their department is complete

An executive report will be provided reviewing the milestones of the project and assessing its overall success.

3 Schools/Units are responsible for:  Providing the workstation naming convention (based on university policy) for the school/unit

 Adding PCs to the Active Domain

 Ensuring Operating Systems are patched and have current virus protection

 Providing Tier 1 support (from department or by SLA)

IT is responsible for:  Training – limited to adding PCs to the domain

 Options for technical support if not available within a department

 Placing workstations into Active Directory organizational unit