ConverterTechnology

World’s Largest Financial Institution Streamlines MS Office 2010 Migration Using ConverterTechnology's Click2Fix™ -40,000 Desktops, ½ Billion Data Files Easily Reconciled

jmarshall — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:11:05 GMT

Innovative ClickToFix migration tool from ConverterTechnology enables end users to self-select and nominate files for compatibility analysis

Enterprise organizations with large infrastructures, that support tens of thousands of desktops, face the daunting task of reconciling large pools of files during an Office 2010 migration. Success requires considerable planning. The “wait and see” approach where critical file failures are discovered only after Office 2010 has been deployed is both risky and costly. In the case of financial institutions, migrations also require adherence to data security rules and regulations.

ConverterTechnology, provider of software and services to help enterprises capitalize on the benefits of Microsoft Office 2010 without the migration risks of data corruption, offers an effective and efficient approach to Microsoft migrations that engage end users and enable them to select and nominate files for compatibility analysis.

The world’s largest banking institution is currently leveraging ConverterTechnology’s Click2Fix for its migration. The only product of its kind on the market, Click2Fix offers significant benefits including:

reduced remediation time
faster access to fixed files
increased productivity for IT departments and end users

“When companies find problems with their files, they need quick recovery plus a fast, effective response,” said Shawn Allaway, president, ConverterTechnology. “Many companies rely on a ‘fix-on-fail’ strategy, which is time-consuming and inefficient. Click2Fix offers a more productive solution that provides a faster means to remediation, while reducing downtime, errors, frustrations, and expense.”

Why Click2Fix for the World’s Largest Bank
Providing private and investment banking services to commercial operations, and institutional and private clients, this international banking institution employs over 40,000 workers across operations in Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and the United States. The organization is currently engaged in 18-month-long project of updating all desktops from Microsoft Office 2003 to Office 2010, which includes close to a half billion data files.

Click2Fix provides the organization with the vital project management needed for a successful migration, while empowering desktop users to select the most important documents or applications for easy upload to IT for remediation and status tracking through a single portal site. Click2Fix offers benefits whether companies remediate files prior to deploying a new version of Microsoft Office or remediate individual files after the deployment.

Planning, Regulatory Adherence, Access Control
Regulatory restrictions require a carefully planned approach to the migration. Click2Fix ensures that data security rules and regulations, including stringent control of data transmissions and access, are adhered to throughout the project. ConverterTechnology’s client allocated environments to each company division by provisioning dedicated Web-based portals that leverage the Click2Fix solution, which uses the existing network domain access and associated membership to restrict access to each portal system based on user profiles without incurring additional administrative overhead.

With a Web browser and the appropriate server address for the portal dedicated to their division, end users can easily participate in the migration process. The client configuration for notifications provided by Click2Fix allows end users to tailor notifications based on the requirements of their department. In addition, the flexibility of the Click2Fix solution allows for localization of the portals based on company requirements, and provides detailed, company-specific guidelines built into the user experience. Email communications are configurable to include clear end user instructions that avoid the need for extensive training.

Throughout the migration process and beyond, each user has day-to-day access to a simple-to-use Web site for uploading corrupt files for analysis and remediation. Once files are submitted, portal operators receive a notification alerting them that files are available for analysis. The bank’s deployment plan calls for twice-per-day data processing to limit user wait time to no more than four hours. Once processed, file analysis and fixes are automatically available to users, who can access the Web site to review the results, and download the remediated file and associated reports detailing file changes made.

Click2Fix Benefits Following Months of Deployment
Several months into the deployment, users across multiple regions and business units continue to leverage the Click2Fix portals, while the organization has successfully provisioned a solution that rapidly responds to problems as end users migrate to the new Office 2010 platform. In addition, the bank has eliminated the need for costly analysis of all user files in advance of the rollout and allowed end users to proactive identify concerns prior to deployment.

The Click2Fix application is designed to reduce IT’s workload by empowering desktop users. Instead of expecting the IT team to know which files are important to each user, Click2Fix enables users to select the most important files, upload them to IT, and track the status of their files through a single web site.

Users have access only to the files they upload and automatically receive detailed reports listing all compatibility issues in their files and the changes made. Click2Fix dramatically reduces the scope of the migration effort by empowering user to submit only those files that are critically important to their day-to-day tasks.

To learn more about Click2Fix visit http://www.convertertechnology.com/solutions/click2fix.aspx.

About ConverterTechnology
ConverterTechnology is the only company to provide a comprehensive, automated Microsoft® Windows and Office migration solution that manages, tracks, and reports on the entire process. The company’s innovative suite of tools, such as OfficeConverter™, DiscoverIT, Click2Fix™ and LinkLab™, bring tremendous value to the entire upgrade process, including planning, workflow, discovering files, identifying compatibility issues and remediation. Founded in 1997, ConverterTechnology has helped millions of users at Fortune 500 companies, global financial and pharmaceutical corporations, and the world’s most renowned theme park, identify, analyze and fix compatibility errors before they occur, accelerating time to deployment. ConverterTechnology is headquartered in Nashua, N.H., with offices in Europe and Australia. For more information, please visit http://www.convertertechnology.com.

OfficeConverter 2010™ Outperforms Microsoft’s OMPM in Microsoft Office Migration Tool Comparison

ConverterTechnology — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:35:45 GMT

The only comprehensive migration solution that is easy to deploy, offers superior risk mitigation, and proactively prevents end users from encountering broken Microsoft Office files

ConverterTechnology, provider of software and services to help enterprises capitalize on the benefits of Microsoft Office 2010 without the migration risks of data corruption, today published a comprehensive comparison of its OfficeConverter 2010™ solution and Microsoft’s Office Migration Planning Manager (OMPM) solution that identifies significant differences in their operation and generated results.

Comparative details are outlined in the recently published whitepaper “Streamlining Microsoft Office 2010 Migrations Using Office Converter,” and validate the ability of OfficeConverter 2010 to save significant time across the migration process by efficiently and effectively identifying corrupt files, automatically repairing files, and mitigating risks associated with a migration.

Both OfficeConverter 2010 and Microsoft’s OMPM are used to identify all the files that will have problems once converted to MS Office 2010, but only OfficeConverter offers automated remediation. It also helps organizations with user segmentation by identifying those users or business units most susceptible to risk resulting from problematic files.

“IT administrators and business unit managers know all too well that the most important aspect of any technology rollout is its impact on end-user productivity. An Office 2010 migration presents many challenges. We strongly believe that anything an organization can do to better plan for and streamline the migration will pay huge dividends,” said Shawn Allaway, president, ConverterTechnology. “Large enterprises with massive Office file estates can realize tremendous value from OfficeConverter during their Office 2010 migration. We automate the steps to quickly identify potential problem areas so that organizations can better plan their migration, which gives IT the ability to proactively mitigate risk. Problematic files, in bulk or nominated by end users through our Click2Fix portal, can be quickly scanned, remediated, and returned to production to minimize organizational downtime or inefficiencies post-migration.”

Problems with Microsoft Migration

With Microsoft’s plans to sunset Office 2003, many enterprises face the daunting task of migrating to Microsoft Office 2010.

A migration requires a great deal of planning to mitigate problems with broken or corrupt Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Access files created in earlier versions of Office. While 80-90 percent of Office files will face no issues following a migration, the 10-20 percent that remain, often critical files, will present varying degrees of problems. A migration to Office 2010 presents the additional challenge of changes in filename extensions. Reconciliation of linked files, especially for files created in Office 2003, requires remediation to avoid breaks in those files synchronizing to Office 2010.

The majority of issues appear in Excel files due to its heavy and complex use of macros and formulas with links between files. Word files are the second most problematic application for enterprises, but most Word files have no Visual Basic programming of concern, whereas an Access file will contain more VBA than a Word file. Enterprises will have millions of Word files compared to hundreds or thousands of Access files.

Best of Three Options – Comprehensive Mitigation with OfficeConverter 2010

IT administrators and business unit managers planning for an Office migration have three options to consider when determining how best to deal with files that will not work properly following the migration. They include:

“Fix on Fail” – For large enterprises, addressing problems on an “as found” basis can result in significant lost or delayed productivity waiting for technical support for file fixes, diverted resources from other tactical support or strategic development initiatives, and create a backlog of file issues that can hinder IT.
Use Microsoft’s OMPM Tools – Microsoft offers OMPM at no cost to facilitate Office 2010 migrations. The tool scans files in batches and requires double processing of files – once for scanning and once for converting from the Office 2003 binary file format to the Office 2010 XML file format. In addition, each individual file must be opened and closed to scan for VBA compatibility. OMPM color-codes the level of migration issue identified in each file during a light scan. With a deep scan, OMPM provides a count of the number of lines of VBA code containing potential problems and a count of potential issues caused by moving Office 2010 to a 64-bit environment. OMPM contains multiple tools that each perform one task and must be run separately. It does not offer automatic remediation and has limited reporting prone to under or over reporting potential errors.
Use ConverterTechnology’s OfficeConverter 2010 – OfficeConverter is the only third-party tool on the market that scans, reports, and converts Office files to Office 2010 in one step. This dramatically speeds up the Office file scanning and conversion to Office 2010 processes. OfficeConverter also provides a greater level of granularity to the extent of problem files, which allows IT to prioritize fixes. OfficeConverter requires a modest software investment and is intuitive enough for IT staff to use without vendor support. OfficeConverter 2010 scans files for potential data loss similar to OMPM, but also provides detailed information about VBA compatibility issues and project references, as well as links to other files. Each file scanned is assigned a numeric severity based on the most severe issue contained in the file. The return on investment is high when considering the dramatic reduction in resource time needed during the migration process.

Head-to-Head Comparison – OfficeConverter 2010 vs. Microsoft’s OMPM

Allaway notes, “When comparing OMPM to OfficeConverter, the performance data clearly shows that OfficeConverter is a more robust solution that significantly reduces migration time. By designing our products to work together, OfficeConverter is the only solution that offers automated remediation, more detailed reporting, and quick and automatic one-time scanning versus the multiple scans needed using OMPM. Simply put, the collaborative nature of our products reduces the entire migration process while ensuring a high degree of accuracy in identifying corrupt mission critical files. Users are back online in a matter of hours, much sooner when compared to OMPM.”

ConverterTechnology offers proven solutions for all deployment hurdles. Its full suite of tools finds and fixes an assortment of problems, including broken links and incompatibility issues, ensuring that files and codes conform to best practice standards. Unlike other approaches, ConverterTechnology’s OfficeConverter automatically remediates, finds, and fixes many errors during and after an upgrade. OfficeConverter also accurately discovers and reports on any issues that require special attention or manual remediation.

ConverterTechnology Named Microsoft® Gold-Certified Partner

ConverterTechnology — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:55:58 GMT

Migration experts ConverterTechnology have just been named a Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner. Gold Certified Partners are the top level of Microsoft solutions partners, providing exceptional tools and support to stand out in the marketplace. As a Gold Certified Partner, ConverterTechnology has repeatedly demonstrated a high level of technical expertise, as well as the proven ability to deliver solutions for Microsoft products.

Microsoft encourages companies to work with their Gold Certified Partners, as they offer demonstrated expertise, a broad-range of experience, direct 24/7 Microsoft support and a valuable real-world perspective.

“We’re proud of our Microsoft Gold-Certified Partner status, and that Microsoft has recognized ConverterTechnology as offering the highest levels of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and hands-on skills. We recognize that we’re in great company with some of the most prestigious, innovative companies in the technology industry, and we’ll continue to deliver the most extraordinary products, support and solutions to our clients,” said Shawn Allaway, President of ConverterTechnology.

ConverterTechnology works with leading enterprises, helping them successfully upgrade to newer versions of Microsoft Office while avoiding the biggest migration risks, including data corruption, reduced productivity and compatibility issues.

ConverterTechnology is the only company to provide a comprehensive, automated Microsoft® Windows and Office migration solution that manages, tracks and reports on the entire process. The company’s innovative suite of tools, such as OfficeConverter, DiscoverIT, Click2Fix, LinkLab, and ChangeBASE AOK, bring tremendous value to the entire upgrade process, including planning, workflow, discovering files, identifying compatibility issues and remediation.

ConverterTechnology has worked with industry leaders, including Fortune 500 companies, global financial and pharmaceutical corporations and the world’s most renowned theme park.

The 12 Most Common Deployment Hurdles During a Microsoft Office Upgrade

ConverterTechnology — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:32:26 GMT

Migration experts ConverterTechnology work with leading enterprises, helping them successfully upgrade to newer versions of Microsoft Office while avoiding the biggest migration risks, including data corruption, reduced productivity and compatibility issues. The ConverterTechnology team has identified the 12 most common challenges when upgrading to Microsoft Office 2010.

“Every upgrade carries some risks – such as broken links, compatibility issues and file security issues – and it’s important to be aware of these risks so your company can avoid them,” said Shawn Allaway, President of ConverterTechnology. “With the proper planning – and the correct suite of tools – you’ll minimize the risks and maximize the advantages during and after an enterprise-wide upgrade.”

According to Allaway, the biggest deployment hurdles include:

VBA Compatibility – Files can have a high concentration of critical Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code errors during and after an upgrade.
Links Compatibility – If files have links to Microsoft Office 2003 files, they’ll break when upgraded to the Microsoft Office 2010 file format.
Undocumented Compatibility Issues – Errors can arise during file remediation and file format conversion, extending resolution and completion times.
Unsupported File Types – Files that were previously supported in Office 2003 and earlier versions that won’t be supported in Office 2010.
Changed Functionality – Some file sets rely on Office 2003 functionality, which are discontinued in Office 2010. Therefore, companies need to implement a systems redevelopment initiative to successfully upgrade the files.
File Security – Office 2010 upgrade projects risk compromising certain government-mandated security and compliance initiatives, placing organizations at risk for security breaches and compliance violations.
Add-Ins – Add-ins developed internally or externally can pose compatibility issues, as many will break when you upgrade to Office 2010.
Finding and Repairing Files at Risk – Some organizations have millions of files to convert, so identifying at-risk files can be time-consuming and tedious.
File Testing and User Acceptance Testing – Organizations need to test files for compatibility with Office 2010 applications, but may worry that it’s too time-intensive to accurately test all of their files.
Disk Space – Many organizations fear they don’t have enough disk space to adequately handle file conversions during an upgrade. Most approaches require users to copy all of the files to be upgraded, thereby doubling the necessary disk space.
Deployment Timeline – CIOs are concerned about meeting the rollout timelines dictated by the organization.
Co-Existence – Deploying Office 2010 while having users run in compatibility mode can be a huge challenge.

ConverterTechnology offers proven solutions for all of these deployment hurdles. Their full suite of tools finds and fixes an assortment of problems, including broken links and incompatibility issues, ensuring that your files and codes conform to best practice standards. Unlike other approaches, ConverterTechnology’s OfficeConverter automatically remediates, finds (and fixes) many errors during and after an upgrade. OfficeConverter also accurately discovers and reports on any issues that require special attention or manual remediation.

Additionally, ConverterTechnology’s Click2Fix, an online file submittal portal, provides a predefined workflow process, streamlining communication between end-users and IT departments during and after an upgrade. Click2Fix offers significant benefits, including reducing remediation time, providing faster access to fixed files, and increasing productivity for IT departments and end-users.

And ConverterTechnology’s newest product, LinkLab, empowers end-users to test their own files for broken links and fix any broken links they discover, increasing their accuracy and productivity while freeing up IT resources.

“We’ve handled thousands of upgrades for a variety of Fortune 500 companies, and we understand the inherent risks that keep CIOs up at night. There’s always some apprehension that comes with a Microsoft Office upgrade, as business leaders worry about errors, downtime, loss of productivity, compatibility issues and security risks,” Allaway continued. “They know that even one problem can cause havoc.”

“ConverterTechnology has developed proven solutions to address and prevent the most common, widespread problems associated with an upgrade. Our comprehensive suite of tools increase accuracy, efficiency, productivity and security, while minimizing risk, errors, downtime and cost,” Allaway explained.

ConverterTechnology’s tools also provide a host of other benefits, including a complete code-change audit trail and security features to safeguard sensitive data from project teams.

“While a handful of organizations may choose the ‘Big Bang’ approach of upgrading all files at the same time, most execute the upgrade in phases. Our tools provide flexibility, allowing CIOs and IT managers to choose how they want to convert files based on a host of variables, such as department, geographic location and business function,” Allaway explained.

“The highest risk of business disruption due to a Microsoft Office 2010 upgrade is present when an enterprise is operating in a ‘mixed environment,’ where some users are working with Office 2010 while others are using earlier Office versions. Collapsing the Office 2010 deployment timeline is the best way to minimize this disruption,” he added.

ConverterTechnology is the only company to provide a comprehensive, automated Microsoft® Windows and Office migration solution that manages, tracks and reports on the entire process. The company’s innovative suite of tools, such as OfficeConverter, DiscoverIT, Click2Fix, LinkLab, and AOK, bring tremendous value to the entire upgrade process, including planning, workflow, discovering files, identifying compatibility issues and remediation.

ConverterTechnology has worked with industry leaders, including Fortune 500 companies, global financial and pharmaceutical corporations and the world’s most renowned theme park.

ConverterTechnology Launches LinkLab

ConverterTechnology — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:11:57 GMT

Empowers end-users to find and fix broken links after a Microsoft Office Upgrade - New tool is quick, easy & accurate, reduces IT’s burden

Broken links are a major problem after a Microsoft Office upgrade, impacting many business-critical Excel and Word files. Most organizations use a global, centralized approach – such as ConverterTechnology’s OfficeConverter – where IT is responsible for identifying and repairing links. However, this approach doesn’t catch every broken link, and end-users don’t have a clear protocol for identifying and remediating these problems themselves, so they burden their IT departments with help requests. Migration experts ConverterTechnology have just introduced LinkLab, an intuitive new tool that empowers end-users to test their own files for broken links, increasing their accuracy and productivity while freeing up IT resources.

“With LinkLab, IT can deliver the right tool sets, allowing end-users to scan their files themselves, quickly and easily finding (and fixing) problematic links. LinkLab liberates IT departments, providing end-users with an effective do-it-yourself tool,” said Shawn Allaway, President of ConverterTechnology.

“Often, companies upgrade in stages, meaning departments throughout the organization are working with different versions of Microsoft Office at any one time. It’s important to realize that one file – or one link – can ‘break’ multiple times, depending on the timeline of the upgrade. Now, employees can test their files on an ongoing basis, improving accuracy and minimizing problems,” Allaway continued.

LinkLab works on individual files with just a click of a button, available on Microsoft’s Add In Ribbon for both Microsoft Excel and Word. LinkLab even provides an at-a-glance report, indicating which links were fixed and alerting end-users to problems that require manual remediation.

“LinkLab offers a solution at the desktop level,” Allaway explained. “End-users know which files are business-critical and contain links, but they can’t tell which links are ‘broken’ just by looking at them. And if companies don’t find – and fix – these problems, they could be pulling old data, resulting in significant errors. IT departments are busy and don’t want to deal with hundreds of employees calling them to determine whether each individual file has broken links. LinkLab empowers employees while taking the burden off IT.”

“Some companies use a tool that can address broken links on a mass level, but even the best tools don’t catch every broken link after an upgrade. LinkLab can serve as a back-up tool or as a stand-alone approach to identify broken files after a Microsoft Office upgrade,” Allaway added.

With the economy recovering and the recent releases of Windows 7 and Microsoft® Office 2010, 2011 is expected to be the biggest technology upgrade since Y2K. Therefore, Microsoft migrations are expected to spike significantly in the coming year. LinkLab can streamline the migration process, increasing productivity and accuracy, while decreasing errors, downtime and cost.

ConverterTechnology is the only company to provide a comprehensive, automated Microsoft® Windows and Office migration solution that manages, tracks and reports on the entire process. The company’s innovative suite of tools, such as OfficeConverter, DiscoverIT, Click2Fix, AOK, Pinnacle Enterprise and Dashworks, bring tremendous value to the entire migration process, including planning, workflow, discovering files, identifying compatibility issues and remediation.

ConverterTechnology has worked with industry leaders, including Fortune 500 companies, global financial and pharmaceutical corporations and the world’s most renowned theme park.

ConverterTechnology to demo full suite of Microsoft Migration tools at Microsoft’s TechEd

ConverterTechnology — Wed, 11 May 2011 01:00:00 GMT

ConverterTechnology will be onsite at Microsoft TechEd North America, May, 16-19, 2011, to demonstrate their full suite of Microsoft Office migration tools.

TechEd is the premier technology event of the year for IT professionals and developers. The event provides a forum for training, networking and connecting with Microsoft experts and learning about the most innovative Microsoft products and services in the marketplace today.

“We’re thrilled to be participating in TechEd. We look forward to spotlighting ConverterTechnology’s full suite of tools at this event, and explaining how our products can streamline the migration process,” said Shawn Allaway, President of ConverterTechnology. “The time for enterprises to invest in a Windows 7 and Office 2010 upgrade is now.”

In fact, according to a recent Forrester Research Inc. report, the reasons to invest in a Microsoft upgrade include providing a more reliable, higher-performing computing environment, improving productivity, optimizing desktop infrastructure, increasing protection of the PC environment and improving user satisfaction. The report adds that Windows 7 has quickly become the standard for most new corporate PCs. Because of these benefits, Microsoft Office migrations are expected to increase by 7% in 2011. Their research also indicates that 88% of businesses plan to migrate to Windows 7, and 46% are planning a migration within the next 12 months.

ConverterTechnology’s innovative suite of tools manages, tracks and reports on the entire migration process, including planning, workflow, discovering critical Office files, identifying compatibility issues and automating remediation. While at the show (Booth #1828), the ConverterTechnology team will explain the value of their products, including their newest offering, Click2Fix.

Click2Fix is an online file submittal portal that provides a predefined workflow process, streamlining communication between end-users and IT departments. It offers significant benefits, including reducing remediation time, providing faster access to fixed files, and increasing productivity for IT departments and end-users.

ConverterTechnology will also be presenting the beta version of their soon-to-launch product (code name: Orion) at TechEd. When files are converted from Office 2003 to Office 2010, the file extensions get changed, and any links to these files will be broken. This new tool automatically fixes the broken links in a document with one click. Orion also displays a list of all links in the document, and can even be filtered to display only broken (or working) links. This tool, which is available for Excel and Word, is scheduled to officially launch in June.

ConverterTechnology is the only company to provide a comprehensive, automated Microsoft Windows and Office migration solution that manages, tracks and reports on the entire process. The company’s innovative suite of tools brings tremendous value to the migration process, including planning, workflow, discovering critical Office files, identifying compatibility issues and automating remediation.

ConverterTechnology has worked with industry leaders, including Fortune 500 companies, global financial and pharmaceutical corporations and the world’s most renowned theme park.

Advanced Planning Prevents Microsoft Office 2010 Migration Pitfalls

ConverterTechnology — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:59:19 GMT

New report provides tips to properly plan a migration, avoiding business disruption, minimizing risks and maximizing productivity.

Upgrading to a new version of Microsoft Office can be daunting, as business leaders worry about business disruptions, compatibility issues and associated risks. Advanced planning will help companies avoid migration pitfalls, according to a new report by Forrester Research, Inc., Pitfalls to Avoid When Upgrading to Microsoft Office 2010, available for free on ConverterTechnology’s website.

“Although Microsoft Office 2010 is the fastest-selling consumer version of Office in history, risk-adverse businesses have taken longer to commit. While migrations benefit companies in the long-term, desktop transformations can be a lengthy process, requiring environmental assessments, file migrations, application testing and user training,” said Shawn Allaway, President of ConverterTechnology, whose migration experts contributed to the Forrester report.

“The major causes of business disruption result from file and application compatibility issues, but advanced planning can prevent these problems. By carefully evaluating the file landscape, gathering staff input, implementing staff training and anticipating the associated risks, companies can often avoid the pitfalls of a Microsoft upgrade,” Allaway added.

Reasons to invest in a Microsoft upgrade include providing a more reliable, higher-performing computing environment, improving productivity, optimizing desktop infrastructure, increasing protection of the PC environment and improving user satisfaction, according to the report. It adds that Windows 7 has quickly become the standard for most new corporate PCs.

Because of these benefits, Office migrations are expected to increase by 7% in 2011, according to Forrester, a technology and market research company. Their research also indicates that 88% of businesses plan to migrate to Windows 7, and 46% are planning a migration within the next 12 months.

Experts from Forrester and ConverterTechnology offer the following tips for planning – and executing – a successful migration:

Evaluate your office file landscape. Involve your employees early in the migration process to help identify the most mission-critical documents, databases and spreadsheets. Survey your workforce to accurately determine how they use Office, which will help guide critical decisions during the migration process.

Prioritize migration efforts. Some users can be upgraded quickly, while others – such as employees using complex, business-critical Excel files – are at higher risk during a migration, with heavier file remediation and testing needs. Identify employees that collaborate and share documents so they can be migrated as a group.
Anticipate a learning curve. Plan for extensive training as employees start using the new interface. Explain the basics, such as how to use the new Ribbon, as well as more advanced features for information sharing, filtering and more. Adequate training will help employees resume full productivity faster.
Maximize ROI by embracing new features. Educate employees about Office enhancements, demonstrating the productivity benefits of these new features. Upgraded features allow users to quickly perform multi-command tasks, co-author documents, visually represent data in Excel cells, filter data and more.
Determine file remediation needs. This will likely impact only a small portion of your files, but these are often your most business critical documents. Failing to plan for file remediation can be tremendously disruptive.
Implement testing to identify at-risk files. Migration teams must consider compatibility issues for files, templates, applications and add-ins. ConverterTechnology offers a full suite of tools to identify and remediate these at-risk files.
Recognize that some files will need manual intervention – such as password-protected files and Outlook attachments – or may even need to be recreated. Most companies use compatibility mode, ensuring that new content can be converted to a useable form.
Understand that embedded macros pose a serious risk, especially in business-critical Excel documents. It’s important to identify and fix “broken links” in your files – otherwise, you’re at risk for major errors.

More information about migration planning is now available in Pitfalls to Avoid When Upgrading to Microsoft Office 2010, available for download. Additionally, ConverterTechnology is hosting a free Webinar on the topic. Migration Best Practices, with featured speaker Benjamin Gray of Forrester and a Q&A with ConverterTechnology experts, will be held on April 21 and will address migration planning, benefits, case studies and potential hurdles.

ConverterTechnology is the only company to provide a comprehensive, automated Microsoft Windows and Office migration solution that manages, tracks and reports on the entire process. The company’s innovative suite of tools brings tremendous value to the migration process, including planning, workflow, discovering critical Office files, identifying compatibility issues and automating remediation.

ConverterTechnology has worked with industry leaders, including Fortune 500 companies, global financial and pharmaceutical corporations and the world’s most renowned theme park.

Private Cloud + ConverterTechnology’s Click2Fix™ Web Portal Offer Enhanced Security & Control

ConverterTechnology — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:55:28 GMT

Innovative New Tools Empower End-Users While Reducing IT’s Burden

A growing trend in business is using the private cloud, a private virtual server, to maintain security and regain control of a distributed computing environment. Combining the private cloud and ConverterTechnology’s new Click2Fix web portal tool for file remediation allows IT departments to maintain control and security, while empowering end-users with an online workflow to remediate broken files and applications.

“Using Click2Fix and the private cloud, IT departments can maintain control and security while giving end-users the freedom to be part of the remediation solution,” said Shawn Allaway, President of ConverterTechnology (www.convertertechnology.com). “With the Click2Fix web portal, companies embracing end-user computing can empower employees to find problematic files or apps themselves, send them to IT for remediation, track the status, and receive faster, more efficient solutions. And by empowering end-users to identify broken files, rather than burdening IT to find and fix every file throughout the enterprise, IT departments’ workload is significantly reduced.”
Click2Fix web portal is a vital tool for project management, empowering desktop users to select the documents or apps that are important to them, easily upload these to IT for remediation and track their status through a single portal site. Click2Fix web portal offers benefits whether companies are migrating to a new version of Microsoft Office or Windows or maintaining their files after a migration.

“For example, a large Swiss bank has recently chosen to leverage the benefits of our Click2Fix web portal solution, combined with our OfficeConverter product, as a means to handle international jurisdictional restrictions and end-user computing initiatives as part of their worldwide rollout of Office 2010, “ Allaway cited.

As the only product of its kind in the marketplace, Click2Fix web portal offers significant benefits, including reducing remediation time, providing faster access to fixed files, and increasing productivity for IT departments and end-users.

When companies find problems with their files, they need to recover quickly with a fast, effective response. Usually, they rely on a fix-on-fail strategy, which is time-consuming and inefficient. Click2Fix web portal leads to faster, more productive solutions, reducing downtime, errors, frustrations, and expense.

“Hidden problems within app-like files are an ongoing, serious problem during and after migration. Employees erroneously assume that if the files open, everything’s working correctly. However, broken objects are often hidden in companies’ most mission-critical documents, linking to outdated information, and resulting in significant errors, decreased productivity and even compliance violations,” Allaway explained.

“Don’t overlook your company’s most heavily used customized documents, which are frequently opened and revised. These constant file revisions can result in broken files – and significant problems, “Allaway cautioned. “Another thing to consider is ongoing maintenance. What happens when employees open a broken file three months from now? One broken link can cause major damage, especially for large organizations managing complex data. Click2Fix web portal is an easy, pro-active way to avoid damaging errors.”

ConverterTechnology is the only company to provide a comprehensive, automated Microsoft Windows and Office migration solution that manages, tracks and reports on the entire process. The company’s innovative suite of tools brings tremendous value to the migration process, including planning, workflow, discovering critical Office files, identifying compatibility issues, and automating remediation.

ConverterTechnology has worked with industry leaders, including Fortune 500 companies, global financial and pharmaceutical corporations, and the world’s most renowned theme park.

Dangerous Gap in “App-Like Files" During Microsoft Office Migration

ConverterTechnology — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 11:43:04 GMT

"App-Like Files” Lack Clear Ownership, Put Business-Critical Documents at Risk

NASHUA, NH, February 22, 2011 – Most enterprises have no clear protocol for migrating “app-like files” – complex Excel and Access documents created in various business units to perform critical functions. While IT departments are often vaguely aware of these files, they usually lack a clear plan for their migration. Additionally, these are the files that don’t typically migrate well.

Business leaders are often lulled into a false sense of security before, during and after a migration, assuming that their files are working correctly and that their staff will know how to find – and fix – any problems that might arise. Very few companies develop a migration prevention and recovery plan that outlines problem resolution, project ownership and a communication structure between employees and their IT department.

Managers should realize that post-migration problems are likely and unless they proactively run a scan and discovery program to identify – and fix – broken files, there will be significant errors in their business-critical documents, according to migration experts ConverterTechnology (www.convertertechnology.com). This can lead to significant risk, potential business disruption and expense for the company.

“After a migration, the majority of files will work fine, but a small percentage won’t. Therein lies the problem. No one is talking about that small percentage of broken files – which are often the most business-critical documents,” said Shawn Allaway, President of ConverterTechnology. “One broken link can cause major damage, especially for large organizations managing complex data.”

“For example, ConverterTechnology helped a global entertainment organization identify and remediate just over 5% of their two million at-risk Office files. Someone has to fix the files that don’t upgrade cleanly and this usually falls back to the business units, not IT. Therefore, resources are needed to repair these files manually,” Allaway continued. “Since we’re talking about fixing more than 100,000 files manually, you can imagine the costs the company would incur – in terms of both time and money. ConverterTechnology’s OfficeConverter saved the company more than a million dollars, and fixed the files in a fraction of the time it would have taken them to do it by hand.”

“As record numbers of companies migrate this year, they must consider their business-critical files, but this is often the gap in their plan,” Allaway explained. “IT departments don’t realize which files are business-critical because they didn’t develop the applications, and business staff may not realize their most important files are working incorrectly. When app-like files break, it can cause serious problems.”

“We see these issues every day. Employees erroneously assume that if the files open, everything’s working correctly. However, broken objects are often hidden in your most mission-critical documents, linking to outdated information, and resulting in significant errors, decreased productivity, compliance violations and even ruined reputations,” Allaway continued.

When companies do find problems with their files, they need to recover quickly with a fast, effective response. Usually, they rely on a fix-on-fail strategy, which is time-consuming and inefficient. ConverterTechnology’s new Click2Fix tool provides a more effective workflow process and communication structure, leading to faster, more productive solutions.

“The issue of ownership compounds the problem. Most companies don’t have a migration protocol in place to handle the app-like files and no one takes responsibility for the issues that inevitably arise,” Allaway added.

ConverterTechnology is the only company to provide a comprehensive, automated Microsoft Windows and Office migration solution that manages, tracks and reports on the entire process. The company’s innovative suite of tools brings tremendous value to the migration process, including planning, workflow, discovering critical Office files, identifying compatibility issues and automating remediation.

ConverterTechnology has worked with industry leaders, including Fortune 500 companies, global financial and pharmaceutical corporations and the world’s most renowned theme park.

ConverterTechnology Launches Click2Fix: An Online File Submittal Portal

ConverterTechnology — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 07:47:18 GMT

New Product Reduces Remediation Time & Increases Productivity During and After a Microsoft Migration

Many companies don’t have a plan to manage broken files during and after a Microsoft Office migration. When an employee discovers that an important file isn’t working, they need a quick response. That’s why enterprise migration experts ConverterTechnology have introduced Click2Fix, an online file submittal portal that provides a predefined workflow process, streamlining communication between end-users and IT departments.

Click2Fix offers significant benefits, including reducing remediation time, providing faster access to fixed files, and increasing productivity for IT departments and end-users.

“The IT department is typically responsible for file storage, but has no way of knowing what each file contains, or which files are business-critical. Business leaders and their work teams know which files are instrumental for daily operations, but don’t have an easy way to identify those files to IT. Click2Fix fills this gap, enabling business groups to quickly and easily identify business-critical files,” said Shawn Allaway, President of ConverterTechnology.

Click2Fix:

Enables end-users to decide which files they want to submit to the file migration team.
Automatically generates emails to the IT group when files are uploaded by end-users.
Automatically generates an email to the end-user when files are ready and available to download.
Notifies the end-user about the status of their files.
Provides access and visibility only to the files that end-users have uploaded
Provides RAG (Red/Amber/Green) status for each converted file.
Streamlines communication and collaboration between IT and business groups.
Is the only product of its kind in the marketplace.

“Now, using Click2Fix, work teams and IT departments have an effective workflow process, allowing them to instantly communicate about broken files, leading to faster, more productive remediation,” Allaway continued.

“With the economy recovering and the recent releases of Windows 7 and Microsoft® Office 2010, 2011 is expected to be the biggest technology upgrade since Y2K. Therefore, Microsoft migrations are expected to spike significantly in the coming year. Click2Fix provides value during and after a migration, ensuring file and application compatibility for business-critical files, minimizing risk, downtime and cost,” Allaway continued.

ConverterTechnology is the only company to provide a comprehensive, automated Microsoft® Windows and Office migration solution that manages, tracks and reports on the entire process. The company’s innovative suite of tools, such as OfficeConverter, DiscoverIT, AOK, Pinnacle Enterprise and Dashworks, bring tremendous value to the entire migration process, including planning, workflow, discovering files, identifying compatibility issues and remediation.

ConverterTechnology has worked with industry leaders, including Fortune 500 companies, global financial and pharmaceutical corporations and the world’s most renowned theme park.

Learn more about Click2Fix

What you don't know about your files can hurt your business

Chip Bates — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:23:33 GMT

ConverterTechnology's Director of Product Development, Chip Bates, had an article published by ComputerUser.

Read the full article here.

ConverterTechnology: Now Offers Complete Microsoft Windows and Office Migration Solution

Adrienne Walkowiak — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:35:19 GMT

Suite of Tools is Unique in the Marketplace

Global IT leader ConverterTechnology is now offering a complete Microsoft® Windows and Office migration solution, which features a “migration readiness” suite of tools. ConverterTechnology is the only company to provide a comprehensive, automated migration solution that manages, tracks and reports on the entire process.

“ConverterTechnology’s unique suite of tools provides a comprehensive, effective solution to meet companies’ migration needs. These tools bring tremendous value to the entire migration process, including planning, workflow, discovering files, identifying compatibility issues and remediation,” said Shawn Allaway, President of ConverterTechnology.

ConverterTechnology’s newest tools, Pinnacle Enterprise and Dashworks, work with both Office and Windows migrations. Pinnacle Enterprise provides a set of tools and techniques based on best practices that can be used to define, publish and monitor everyday workflow processes. Dashworks, a centralized web-based reporting tool, provides up-to-date, at-a-glance information on project status. Dashworks removes the labor intensive manual analysis and remediation that would otherwise make enterprise-wide Microsoft upgrades so problematic.

Additionally, ConverterTechnology has the most innovative tools for Microsoft Office migration, including:

OfficeConverter identifies and resolves office compatibility deployment hurdles related to Office upgrades. Using OfficeConverter tools and methods, program managers can collect and organize information that delivers precise and immediately actionable decision items to Office upgrade planners. The quality of data about the file landscape and intended file use can significantly impact the scope and logistics of document and/or database conversion.
DiscoverIT helps define the scope of the file landscape in advance of an upgrade, by determining the number of files that exist on the network, where these files are stored and more, streamlining the file conversion.
SubmitIT automates and expedites the Microsoft Office repair process. With one-click, users can send all their broken files to a secure network share for repair or file conversion.
AOK, a Windows tool similar to Office Converter, provides an automated process for scanning applications, identifying compatibility issues, and providing automated remediation for these issues.

“The ConverterTechnology Migration Readiness Suite offers complete application solutions to assist organizations with Office readiness assessment and migration. Each component of the suite may be used independently or as a part of a complete project methodology,” Allaway explained.

“We offer a comprehensive migration solution based on 10 years of Office Migration best practices,” Allaway continued. “With our new suite of tools, we can reduce the trepidation around migration, as companies can stop worrying about the integrity of their files, the associated cost and anticipated downtime.”

Converter Technology helps enterprises migrate to new versions of Microsoft® Windows and Microsoft Office, mitigating the risks, costs and productivity loss that typically arise from enterprise deployments.

“Converting files manually just wasn’t an option for us for multiple reasons” explained a ConverterTechnology client spokesperson. “First, the scope of work was just too massive for this undertaking. We had to migrate nearly 100,000 users worldwide, and we had an extremely tight timeframe to accomplish this task. Working in a highly regulated industry, we had the additional challenge of documentation, and we needed a full audit trail of all of our files, including careful records of all changes during the migration process.”

“ConverterTechnology was very helpful in accommodating our specific requests, providing custom reports per our specifications, which added significant value to the experience,” he continued. “We’ve been extremely pleased with the process, the tools and the results.”

Spreadsheet Integrity for Excel Migration and Beyond

ConverterTechnology — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:13:13 GMT

ClusterSeven and ConverterTechnology Deliver Unified Solution

ClusterSeven, and ConverterTechnology, international providers of strategic spreadsheet management and migration solutions for Microsoft Office and Windows to Fortune 2000 companies, today announced a new partnership. This will provide a unified solution for ensuring the integrity of spreadsheets through both the demands of migration to new versions of Excel and subsequent operational business usage.

The pervasive use of spreadsheets as critical business applications is often only exposed when businesses prepare to upgrade their desk top environment to the most recent versions of Microsoft Office®. Yet businesses run a risk every day that these spreadsheets will be corrupted by error or fraud during normal daily operations.

The ClusterSeven-ConverterTechnology partnership is designed to leverage the work completed during preparations for a desktop upgrade. Business can re-use information gathered from the migration process to establish continuous management of their critical spreadsheets and ensure long term operational integrity.

“As spreadsheet applications increasingly support critical functions within corporate operations, the risk of downtime becomes a real threat to the business” says Shawn Allaway, President of ConverterTechnology. “By working with ClusterSeven we know that our clients will get continuing protection long after we have helped them achieve a smooth and successful Office migration”.

“Many spreadsheet management and control projects start with ConverterTechnology by identifying and building an inventory of critical and risky files” says Ralph Baxter, CEO of ClusterSeven. Clients can save a lot of money and effort by taking this inventory as a baseline for active spreadsheet management to ensure that the files stay as good as the day that ConverterTechnology migrated them”.

About ClusterSeven
ClusterSeven (London and New York) provides enterprise-wide, strategic spreadsheet and data management software to financial institutions and Fortune 500 financial reporting divisions. ClusterSeven’s software non-intrusively monitors and tracks spreadsheets to enable users to more effectively manage governance, risk and regulatory compliance obligations in order to generate revenue, enhance staff efficiency and boost productivity.

C&C Technology Partners with ConverterTechnology to expand their Desktop & Application Office Migration Services

C & C Technology — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:37:24 GMT

As part of their Desktop & Application Migration Centre of Excellence, C&C Technology has partnered with ConverterTechnology to further help their clients by adding an Office migration capability. This capability will enable their clients to migrate their Microsoft Office files and data to a newer version of Microsoft Office with reduced cost, time and associated risks when compared to Microsoft's standard tools.

C&C Technology are Infrastructure Change Experts, and have over 20 years experience helping clients across a range of industry verticals in the UK with IT change projects. C&C Technology has previous experience using ConverterTechnology's OfficeConverter, when they worked with a major airport operator to migrate to Office 2007. At one site alone, the conversion involved 25,000 files representing 160GB of data for 70 users. Of these files it was found that nearly 60% would have had compatibility issues. Using OfficeConverter they were able to automatically fix 95% of the files.

“We wanted to be able to help our clients streamline their migration projects even more, and found the ConverterTechnology's OfficeConverter the ideal tool to do that, especially in conjunction with our own solution, Migration Manager. With the addition of the tools that ConverterTechnology offers to our portfolio, our clients are able to save up to 60% of the time they would have spent completing the migration of files manually. These tools massively reduce any potential for disruption to business continuity that might otherwise have been experienced and having access to reliable data” said Jason Colombo, MD at C&C Technology.

ConverterTechnology is one of several new partnerships that C&C are undertaking this year in order to expand the tools that they are able to offer to ensure business continuity during IT Infrastructure Change projects,

About C&C Technology Consulting
C&C Technology Consulting are leading experts in delivering Business Enabling IT Infrastructure, based in Basingstoke and working across the UK. The company provides professional services, consulting and specific tools to help clients across a range of industries including, Transport, Utilities, Legal, Financial Services, Construction & Public Sector. C&C Technology are industry experts in Infrastructure-related challenges; across Desktop & Applications, Data Centres and Operational Systems. C&C Technology provides a comprehensive set of tools which help greatly improve the results of any IT Infrastructure Change project.

ConverterTechnology Teams With Juriba to Provide Smarter Microsoft Software Migration

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 12:59:45 GMT

ConverterTechnology has partnered with Juriba to give companies a fast and easy way to assess their readiness to upgrade their Windows PCs to the latest Microsoft software.

ConverterTechnology, the world leading expert in Microsoft Office and Windows enterprise-wide upgrades, will now offer Juriba's Dashworks software to worldwide customers as part of its portfolio of Microsoft migration tools and services.

Dashworks gives companies deep, detailed visibility into all the assets on their desktops to better manage large-scale deployments. The Dashworks dashboard connects to user directories, desktop inventory and applications throughout the enterprise to build a data warehouse of desktop information. It solves a huge challenge for large enterprises with thousands of desktops in many far flung locations, answering the questions: "What's on my users' desktop PCs, and will their files, applications and hardware be able to handle the coming upgrade without breaking?"

ConverterTechnology will offer an optimized version of Dashworks that works seamlessly with its OfficeConverter software portfolio, the world's number one technology for simplifying enterprise-wide Microsoft Office conversions and migrations. The products also work hand-in-hand with ChangeBASE AOK, also offered by ConverterTechnology, to automate the manual work done around the testing and packaging of applications when companies upgrade to Windows 7 and application virtualization deployments.

"Dashworks will bring enormous efficiency and cost-savings to our customers, cutting the asset discovery phase of Office and Windows migrations up to 50 percent," said Jeff LaBombard, Global Alliance Director for ConverterTechnology. "Dashworks paired with OfficeConverter 2010 and ChangeBASE will provide a seamless solution for efficient program management for a desktop transformation."

As Dashworks helps IT discover problematic desktops and files across their enterprise, OfficeConverter 2010 accelerates the process of converting existing files and custom applications to work with new Microsoft Office platforms by automating the most labor-intensive file migration functions. Once file, application and hardware readiness has been assessed, zero-touch deployment begins. The automation capabilities of OfficeConverter and Dashworks minimize the need for manual efforts, reducing the most expensive and time consuming aspects of an enterprise-wide desktop migration.

Both Juriba and ConverterTechnology also offer a self-service option on the desktop, enabling users to stay productive and not have to wait for deployment in mass. From experience with over a million users and requests from its user base, this option enables quicker and more efficient deployment of Office 2010 and Windows 7.

"Finding out who is ready to migrate to a new Windows OS or Office platform is a problem that has always taken armies of people to solve," said Barry Angell, Managing Director at Juriba. Dashworks paired with ConverterTechnology's product suite removes the labor intensive manual analysis and remediation that make enterprise-wide Microsoft upgrades so problematic. Who better to partner with in the U.S. than the company renowned for making Microsoft migrations fast, safe and cost effective?"

About Juriba Limited
Juriba Limited is a leading software development and data warehouse specialist. The company provides innovative business intelligence software and service solutions to support management and upgrade of the enterprise desktop environment in some of the largest global organizations in the world. Juriba has developed a product called Dashworks that makes planning and delivering Windows 7 migrations fast, accurate and low cost.

Office 2010 Deployment: How Do I Get There?

ConverterTechnology — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:07:01 GMT

If your enterprise is planning a Microsoft Office 2010 migration, or is in the beginning stages of deployment, you are most likely interested in possible contingencies or problems you may have with broken files. In this article, we will help organizations answer the critical question in the upgrade process “How do I get there?”

Choose the deployment approach that best fits your business environment, is our first advice. Organizations may choose between a big bang– all departments at the same time –, departmental, or phased rollout approach. It all gets down to understanding how your organization functions, what is the level of deployment– whether Office 2010 is domestically or globally deployed –, and what are the right tools and methods used. Keep in mind that your objective should be to stay on time, on budget, with minimal impact on user.

There are five critical steps for organizations upgrading to Office 2010 that can ensure the success of the deployment process:

1. Plan and discover your environment

At this stage, organizations discover their network landscape through files and applications inventory and compatibility. This way, they know how much remediation they are going to need, and make deployment estimates or “order of magnitude”.

2. Scope your project

Which files that are going to be problematic, and impact your deployment project timeline and cost? Organizations define the quantity of files that require remediation and validate assumptions made in the first planning phase. This is the moment when organizations can start requesting new funding for the deployment, if necessary. It is also the best moment to “do the housekeeping”, and remove the old archived files and applications that nobody uses anymore, further reducing costs and time.

3. Convert and migrate

At the conversion and migration stage, the bulk of files and applications are converted in a “factory setting”, while broken files are promoted to help desk or central service for remediation. It can take the longest time getting the files and applications migrated and ready to go to user acceptance training.

4. Test

Often overlook and underappreciated, testing is a strategic step to making sure that critical applications and files are working properly, as intended. Organizations are advised to go through methodical end user acceptance training with a representative sample se, in order to try to head off any problems as best they can.

5. Roll out

The roll out or converting to production stage means that all departments in the organization have successfully moved to the new platform, and desktops are converted in full production mode. At this stage, users can still address link issues.
To accelerate the deployment process for your organization and remediate arising Office files issues while staying on time and on budget, we are also recommending the OfficeConverter automated solution.

The high cost of Microsoft's free migration tools

ConverterTechnology — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:45:28 GMT

Is your enterprise ready to roll out Microsoft Office 2010? Then you may be considering Microsoft’s free tools to prepare and migrate the deployment environment.

When it comes to assessing and preparing the IT environment of organizations for deployment, Microsoft provides a free set of tools including Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (MAP) and the Office Migration Planning Manager (OMPM). Microsoft also provides the following tools, Office Customization Tool and the Microsoft Deployment kit to assist IT with customization.

What is the benefit of the MAP tool for Office 2010 migration? The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit will check your environment and assess whether it is ready for the deployment by performing three main functions: technologies inventory, compatibility analysis, and readiness reporting. It’s an automated, multi-product planning and assessment tool for desktop migrations, as well as server and cloud migrations.

OMPM can help IT professionals assess the compatibility of older Office documents (.doc, .xls, etc.) to the newer OpenXML formats (.docx, .xlsx, etc.). Using OMPM will prevent problems with broken files that may work after migration, and lower your business productivity.

From a technical point of view, Microsoft’s suite of free tools are not the most effective choice, since it requires IT to process files twice—once for scanning and once for conversion to Ofﬁce 2010, and then open and scan each ﬁle individually to ensure that they migrated successfully.

To accelerate their migration process, enterprises are increasingly turning to ConverterTechnology’s OfficeConverter 2010. With OfficeConverter files only need only be scanned once, and their remediation is made automatically. This enables IT professionals to prioritize and remediate ﬁles fast, and gives enterprises a competitive edge in the migration process.

If your enterprise is planning both an OS and application deployment, Microsoft recommends the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) be used to manage this type of deployment. As an alternative, ConverterTechnology’s Migration Readiness Suite offers complete application solutions to assist organizations with Windows readiness assessment and upgrades. Each component of the suite may be used independently or as a part of a complete project methodology. From Executive Dashboard, Project Execution and Management to detailed reporting, ConverterTechnology offers a complete solution suite that can dramatically reduce the deployment risk factors and shorten the windows deployment cycle.

Choosing Microsoft Office Migration Tools

ConverterTechnology — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:28:59 GMT

Migrating to the latest version of Microsoft Office is a complex process that requires extensive analysis and planning, especially if your organization is currently running Office 2003. The additional challenges present when upgrading from Office 2003 (or older versions) to Office 2010 are the new file extensions that will cause links to break when migrated to the latest format. Fixing and upgrading these files can be crucial to your business processes if, for example, your operations rely on complex Excel files running macros.

How do you remediate these files and what tools do enterprises have to aid the migration?

Most IT Professionals are probably already familiar with Microsoft’s Office Migration Planning Manager (OMPM). OMPM is a free tool set that identifies and reports on file properties and contents to help discover file issues that may come up during the migration. OMPM scans Microsoft Office files in batches and requires them to be processed twice—once for scanning and once for converting to the Ofﬁce 2010 format. Finally, each file must be opened and evaluated individually using the Office Code Compatibility Inspector (OCCI) to find the specific compatibility issues in each file.

OfﬁceConverter is an alternative to OMPM. How is OfficeConverter different? First, it’s the only third-party tool available on the market that accelerates scanning and conversion of files to Ofﬁce 2010 while also providing a greater level of detail to the issues that will come up during the migration. This enables IT to not only prioritize files but also efficiently remediate files.

When comparing the two migration tools processing steps, it is evident that OfﬁceConverter offers a more efficient process since ﬁles will only need to be scanned once, and remediation is done automatically. OfﬁceConverter is intuitive enough to use but your IT staff can also rely on the support of a consultant or provider to use it. Unlike OMPM, the software requires a small investment, but your enterprise’s return on investment will be higher when you compare the business operating time saved with OfficeConverter.

If you want to learn more about the differences between these two solutions’ functionalities by tool sets and processes, check our latest white paper, “Streamlining Microsoft Office 2010 Migrations Using OfficeConverter”

Streamlining Microsoft Office 2010 Migrations

ConverterTechnology — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:23:03 GMT

Technology advancement is a result of an organization’s need to leverage business intelligence techniques and to streamline business processes. In the fast changing information environment, keeping up with technology advancement can be a major challenge for companies.

For organizations of all sizes, the ultimate goal in upgrading systems to newer technology is to achieve better business efficiency. But the goal in deploying that new technology is to streamline the transition so as to not affect productivity during the process.

Microsoft Office applications grew strong roots within organizations, not only due to Microsoft’s widespread platforms, but also due to the rich intuitive functionality they provide. Thus, most decision makers are currently choosing to upgrade to the latest Office 2010 version.

If their organization has a large number of workstations, IT professionals will most likely look for ways to automate and streamline the migration process. To achieve a smooth Office 2010 migration, the IT staff has to plan how to deal with Office files that may not work after the migration is complete.

There are solutions in the market to help streamline Office migrations. ConverterTechnology’s OfficeConverter is the only third-party solution that accelerates ﬁle scanning, identification and migration to Ofﬁce 2010. It providing a deep level of granularity – by identifying Office files that will not function once migrated. The tool offers an efficient process since files will only need to be scanned once, and remediation is done automatically.

With OfficeConverter, IT will not be overloaded with requests to fix issues, and your staff is not left with broken Office files that will delay their work and reduce productivity. To learn more about our solution and compare it with other options available you can download our newest white paper, “Streamlining Microsoft Office 2010 Migrations Using OfficeConverter”

Migration Tips for Office 365

ConverterTechnology — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:23:44 GMT

Migration to the cloud is a big decision for enterprises (and businesses of all sizes), and therefore requires thorough evaluation of IT systems in order to optimize the value on business processes and user adoption.

Office 365 is Microsoft’s fastest growing product, and it is predicted that a growing number of companies will adopt Microsoft’s cloud environment in 2012. So, what should enterprises take into account when migrating to Office 365?

We have identified some “tips” that we believe are vital as you plan your migration.

Identify the functionality you require: Office 365 provides the all of the functionality that many users require but it is does not contain all of the features found in Office 2010. In most companies there will be groups of power users that rely heavily on the advanced features of Office 2010 while many other users have more basic needs. Identifying which users in your company fall into each group, and only migrating those users whose needs are met with the features available in Office 365 is vital information for a successful migration.

Take small steps: Migrating to Office 365 cloud could be problematic depending on the platforms your business has in place. We suggest taking small steps through the migration process – test an application, and then strategically move other applications. Microsoft recommends implementing a 3-6 month pilot program to test the impact on applications and files to the cloud environment.

Minimize the scope of the migration: Moving data, whether it is files or emails, can be a time consuming and costly process. Reviewing the data and archiving old or obsolete files prior to the migration is a great way to speed up the migration process.

Choose the right Office 365 plan for your enterprise: Care must be taken in assessing the Office 365 packages. Keep in mind your business’s size and future needs. Office 365 is a pay-as-you-go system. Office 365 will let you sway between plans, but it may impact cost and/or time delays.

Provide mobility to all employees: Ultimately, the cloud is about mobility. When your enterprise moves to Office 365, it is vital to check the compatibility of this service with the devices your employees will use, such as mobile devices, smart phones and tablet computers.

Microsoft Office 365 offers a lot of features for growing organizations. As mentioned in our previous article Why choose Office 2010 instead of Microsoft 365, we recommend enterprises to consider coupling cloud and desktop to achieve the optimum level of system availability and reliability.

Why choose Microsoft Office 2010 instead of Microsoft 365

ConverterTechnology — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:11:00 GMT

Launched in June 2011, Office 365 is actually an upgrade of the lesser known Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), which provided SaaS offerings based on Microsoft Office’s 2007 applications. As Microsoft reported towards the end of last year, Office 365 is its fastest growing product, selling eight times more than the preceding BPO Suite.

However, for professionals working heavily with Microsoft Office applications, Office 365 does not bring much novelty. So what makes Office 365 such a hit? Some tech experts attribute it to higher marketing budgets or market strategies, while cloud enthusiasts praise the mobile benefits it provides.

Office 365 includes the online upgraded versions of Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and Lync Online services. Some Office 365 packages include the Office Web Apps, which are the online version of installed Office software. However, the capabilities provided by the online Office apps are far more limited than those of on-premises software. For example, the Excel Office Web App does not run macros, or Office web files can be opened only if stored on a SharePoint site. Thus, Office 365 requires a very good Internet connection and interdependent services, and you have to organize your work around that.

Understanding how groups use Microsoft Office and which features are important to them is vital when choosing between Office 2010 and Office 365. Many users within an organization create simple documents and spreadsheets and will be easily satisfied with the features available in Office 365.

Power users within the organization will need the full functionality of Office 2010. For many organizations the right choice may not be either Office 2010 or Office 365 but which version to use in each department or division within the company.

In general, organizations that have not yet adopted Office 365 service fear

high costs related to migration
compliance issues
infrastructure and security
licensing complications (especially organizations using on-premises licensing through an Enterprise Agreement)

Overall, Office 365 does provide strong collaboration and communication capability for cloud adopters, and according to PC World, it is considered a stronger online productivity suite for businesses. In order to fully benefit from the features of Office 365, we recommend businesses install Office 2010 or Office Professional Plus.

If your business has not yet migrated to the newest Office 2010 version, we recommend you read "Why Office 2010 and Office 365 Enable My Best Work."

If you want to know more about what tools your business needs for migrating to Office 2010, then read more about how ConverterTechnology’s software makes the Office migration process easy and cost effective.

Calculating the costs for an enterprise-wide migration to Office 2010

ConverterTechnology — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:11:21 GMT

In our latest blog article we discussed the need for planning when it comes to an enterprise-wide migration to Office 2010. In this article we discuss the importance of calculating costs when planning for an enterprise-wide migration.

Being ahead of the competition is a goal of nearly every organization. Implementing the latest software in order to increase the productivity of your business and offering your employees the latest business productivity tools along with access to training on how to effectively use it can affect a company’s performance. This is especially true now, when having an efficient staff is a must, and when many companies are struggling to make a profit. When planning for a migration, optimizing costs through careful planning is crucial.

The first thing to take into account is the cost for the actual software. . For organizations with over 250 desktops there are multiple pricing plans available, such as The Enterprise Agreement, The Enterprise Subscription Agreement, The Select Plus License and the Open License. More options on each of these plans can be viewed here. The key feature to remember is that the larger your organization, the more space you have to negotiate with Microsoft on obtaining a good price.

According to a Gartner study there are other areas, besides the actual software, that affect budget and resources such as:

Applications
It staff: architects, developers, key team members
Creation of tests and developing processes

Underestimating the time that goes into planning, testing, and manual remediation, as well as the desktop users’ learning curve would be a mistake, as these actions have a direct affect on time and money spent. A typical migration to Office 2010 takes an enterprise from 6 – 18 months and involves hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Office files scattered throughout the environment. While the initial investment may seem significant, if the planning and migration are done properly, the return on investment will be realized. When proper planning has not been done the cost and business impact can quickly spiral out of control.

For other tips on Microsoft Office or Windows migrations, from planning to how to avoid challenges, please visit our blog.

Simplifying Microsoft Office File Migration to the Cloud

ConverterTechnology — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:59:50 GMT

In a previous blog, we discussed factors to consider when migrating your Microsoft Office and other business-sensitive files to the cloud. In this blog we are focusing on best practices to employ when migrating those files to the cloud.

We know that a lot of people are reluctant about cloud computing, despite the many advantages that it can bring to a business. We have examined these concerns in previous blog. Among those concerns was the extensive amount of planning that a cloud migration requires. This planning applies as well to file migrations.

File migration is a fundamental step in any cloud migration. Imagine thousands or even millions of files waiting to be migrated. Not only are you insecure about their safety, but how can you determine which file to elect to send to the cloud?

EWeek had an interesting article on this topic. They note, “The first thing to ask is how strategic are specific files to the business? How would it affect the business if they weren’t continuously available? If files require five nines (99.999 percent) availability, they’re probably not good candidates for the cloud. But for some files, 99.9 percent (which represents a few days' worth of downtime a year) may be good enough.”

Perhaps the most common type of migration is the Microsoft Exchange migration. Many companies offer this service, and it is becoming increasingly popular to perform migrations to Exchange Online, rather than keeping the information on the premises. But, there are few companies specialized in offering this exact type of migration and there are even fewer automated tools.

What about Microsoft Office files? There are a couple of options:

You can ask the cloud provider to deliver everything, including planning and executing the file migration.
You can choose to use automatic tools, especially when moving just a part of your IT infrastructure or software to the cloud, particularly that related to Microsoft information.
ConverterTechnology offers some tools that can be helpful in this process. For example, we offer a desktop-tool that offers the user a way to elect files to be reviewed for any damage that may have occurred during the cloud migration.

File migrations must be treated with care – be it part of a cloud implementation or a more traditional on-premise migration. If you are planning a migration (internal or cloud-based), ConverterTechnology can help. Feel free to contact us.

Migrating Microsoft Office Files to the Cloud

ConverterTechnology — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:08:06 GMT

In previous blogs we’ve discussed the pros and cons for large enterprises considering a move to the cloud. But what about data migration, what factors need to be considered when migrating Microsoft Office Files to the cloud?

Lately, there has been an increased level of attention given to this topic. The concerns range from how you integrate your data with the cloud, to the security of the migration, and best practices in performing the migration. Perhaps the most common example of data migration is implementing the Office 365 suite.

The fact that people still do not trust the cloud, that they do not know where the data is stored, makes it crucial for tools that allow for the easy transfer of the data in and out of the cloud.

For example, what if your organization has already moved to the cloud and now has decided to switch cloud providers? You might discover that the files are hosted on a system that does not support migration tools/efforts. Careful consideration of how you select your cloud provider and how much control you have over your own data, even hosted on someone else’s servers, becomes critically important.

Furthermore, in terms of location, there are laws limiting mobility of data. You should always consider the implication of legal issues. For example, in the EU, there are limitations to where and what type of data can be moved.

Also, you must consider exactly what types of files that you want stored on the cloud provider’s servers. Companies must be especially attentive in terms of type of files you prepare for migration and where the data is hosted. ConverterTechnology’s DiscoverIT tool can help you identify the types and number of files you have enabling you to make informed decisions based on business logic and file content.

Some cloud companies offer their own tools to allow clients to migrate files from other providers to their own servers. This is obviously advantageous for the client, but even more so for the company which came up with the tool!

It can seem like a complicated process, but it doesn’t have to be. In our next article we will discuss migrating files to the cloud and strategies that can help simplify the process.

Why Enterprises are slow to move to the Cloud

ConverterTechnology — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:24:55 GMT

It wasn’t too long ago that cloud computing was considered to be the next big thing. Now cloud computing is considered commonplace. Although all major analyst companies and people who have already implemented cloud computing keep touting its benefits, such as reduced capital expenditures, security, scalability and performance, large enterprises who are intrinsically more reluctant to change, may be more likely to postpone moving or even consider moving their environment to the cloud.

Reasons why enterprises may not be as quick to move to the cloud include:

Security Fears: There is a belief that cloud is less secure than on-premise computing. Major problems with Amazon and other popular cloud providers have helped spread this idea. However, most cloud providers offer an up-time guarantee of 99.99%. In addition, they have security specialists continually caring for the system, which makes it more effective and safe than having your own IT department deal with security. Also, large companies usually are reluctant to not have their own data centers.
Planning for a Migration: We have already said that any migration requires a great amount of planning. Planning for a migration to the cloud requires more time and resources. Planning needs to include what needs to be moved, when, how, how will the new technology work with the existing infrastructure, what it will cost – and how will the pricing be amortized?
Cloud Computing Standards: When it comes to choosing the cloud provider, you must be careful. Choosing the right cloud provider is crucial to the success of the migration. There are organizations defining standards for cloud computing and providers, but are not considered to be common “best practices.”
Fear of change: Like any new technology, companies will have their own concerns and restrains against implementing it. This is especially true for large enterprises, which have thousands of employees, deal with crucial information, have liability concerns and may also have jurisdictional restrictions to consider.

Cloud adoption requires significant change in any company but can also bring endless possibilities for companies, and it allows for extended mobility and flexibility.

Will Windows users easily accept the new Metro UI?

ConverterTechnology — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:52:53 GMT

In a previous blog I discussed how enterprises might choose between Windows 7 and Windows 8. In this blog we are going to go into more detail regarding the new OS introduced by Microsoft, Windows 8, both in terms of adoption, and user acceptance.

In the corporate world, Gartner predicts that Windows 7 will be the last version of Windows to be largely deployed. Cloud computing, the need for mobility and flexibility, Apple’s growth, the many options available for computing and the extended increase of virtualization may shift the traditional way that IT is handled in large enterprises.

Since many corporations skipped the Windows Vista upgrade and decided to upgrade directly to Windows 7, there are some that suggest that this will hurt the adoption of Windows 8. (Source: foxnews.com)

However, Windows 8 will be compatible with all the programs run by Windows 7, so the transition period should be shorter, at least in terms of migration.

In terms of user acceptance, predictions vary, because of the fact that it introduces a new user interface, Metro, optimized for touch, to better operate on tablets and smart phones. This is a step forward for Microsoft and, according to Gartner, PC sales are expected to decline favoring tablets sales. However, tablets are still not powerful enough to replace desktop and laptops.

The new OS, with touch-like features, will introduce a ribbon application for Windows. Microsoft allows users to switch between the familiar look of Windows 7 and the new Metro look, which might be an advantage in terms of user acceptance.

Other improvements are faster boot time for Windows to start, full screen of websites through the new Internet Explorer 10 browser, a share feature and a built-in app store. Further, Windows 8 is leveraging the cloud by providing access to one user’s information on any device by logging in with a Live ID.

The prospects are favorable for Windows 8 to succeed. Dell and HP have already declared their intentions to build tablets that will support the new OS. It seems that Microsoft is taking the necessary steps to improve its technology and to include new, modern features.
Will Microsoft be able to successfully convince people to move from an OS they know to an interface they are unfamiliar with? The effort on Microsoft’s side is considerable; however, it remains to be seen if users are ready to accept the new OS.

Making a choice: Windows 7 or Windows 8?

ConverterTechnology — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:16:45 GMT

In April 2011, Windows 7 surpassed Windows XP in the US, but adoption of the new operating system has been slow. Furthermore, it seems that Microsoft is aiming to release a new version of Windows every two to three years, and as such it has already showcased its latest OS to be released - Windows 8.

Windows 8 has been described as “surreal, the future of PC’s and mind-blowing.” Therefore, if you are a decision maker for an enterprise or organization and still running on XP or Vista, you are faced with a dilemma. Should you upgrade to Windows 7 or wait until Windows 8 is officially released?

Is Windows 7 good enough and different enough for you to jump on the migration bandwagon from older OS versions? Which route should you go - upgrade to Windows 7 or wait for Windows 8?

We found the following points are key reasons most organizations upgrade to Windows 7:

The organization is not happy with the current version of Windows, most notably, Vista.
The newer operating systems are more stable, more powerful and faster improving productivity.
Better security: Windows 7 comes equipped with ASLR (address space layout randomization), and DEP (data execution prevention).
A lot of incompatibilities happened when upgrading from XP to Vista. Now Vista and Windows 7 are more compatible and the upgrade should take place more smoothly.
Keep on the technology train: XP was developed in 2001 - centuries ago in technology time.
XP is only available on 32 bits, while Windows 7 comes available in a 64-bit version, which allows for more space and better performance.
You have a Windows XP “mode” in the new Windows 7.
The user account control was confusing to users in Vista, and now it is less intrusive.
Search is much better.

Reasons to upgrade directly to Windows 8:

Windows 8 will offer a more cloud friendly environment.
The new hardware conserves power better, so if you think in eco terms, then this is the operating system for you.
Windows 8 works on tablets which are becoming more and more common.
It will introduce a Windows app store.

What could the potential problems be with upgrading to Windows 8:

According to Microsoft, It might take from a minimum one and a half to 20 hours per computer, to complete the upgrade if done manually.
Any enterprise-wide migration is costly.
XP still works and it is much loved, but Microsoft has committed to supporting XP with critical updates only until 2014.
The new Metro UI of Windows 8 will be radically different, so obviously there will be a difficult learning curve – especially for end users currently running Windows XP.

You can also check out this article regarding top concerns with migrations and how to overcome them.

No matter what version you go with, keep in mind that Windows XP is quickly becoming obsolete. Your company does not want to lose its competitive edge by not upgrading and leaving your employees working on outdated software.

Yes Virginia, broken links ARE a real problem

ConverterTechnology — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:17:39 GMT

I’m always surprised by the reaction we get when discussing the risks of broken links as part of planning for a Microsoft Office upgrade. When we bring up the topic with a project team’s IT leaders, it’s usually met with blank stares, shoulder shrugs and general indifference. I find this reaction surprising since broken links are often a widespread problem during and post migration, especially if the organization is upgrading from Office 2003 to Office 2010.

Most enterprises choose to upgrade in a phased roll out. While this makes sense for enterprise level upgrades, it can also exacerbate the problem of broken links. When an organization currently running Office 2003 upgrades to a newer version of Office – for example, Office 2010 – they typically don’t upgrade all files to the new Office format due to project size, cost, and duration. Due to the individual enterprise project scope parameters, it’s likely that many – but not all – linked files are converted during the initial migration. Therefore, the end users need a way to easily fix links that break “over time,” as other users selectively convert files that were out of scope for the initial Office upgrade.

For example, let’s say there are 10 users in department A that utilize an Excel spreadsheet which is linked to a separate spreadsheet maintained by department B. Department B rolls out Office 2010, but department A is not scheduled to be upgraded for 3 months. The resource in department B opens their spreadsheet post-upgrade, promptly hits the “convert” option and a new spreadsheet is created with the .xlsx extension. However, the original file (with the .xls extension) is still out on the company’s file share. Now, the 10 users in department A are unaware that the file they are linked to has been replaced with a new file, so they keep using the original file, not realizing that this spreadsheet is no longer in use. After all, the link is still valid, so Excel won’t notify them of a broken link, but the data in that file is no longer being updated. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to visualize the potential negative impact this may have. And it could take days or weeks (or longer) before someone realizes that they’re pulling stale data from this old Excel worksheet.

Contrast the above with planning for a server migration or consolidation and everyone is very concerned about the impact of broken links in Office files, especially in Excel. In that scenario, the broken links are very obvious, but in an Office upgrade, the broken links are usually not as apparent. During an Office upgrade, companies aren’t typically moving file locations, drives or shares, which are the “usual suspects” in file linking problems. This is why, without the proper planning and mitigation strategy, IT could be setting up end users for some big headaches – and putting their organization at business risk.

Overcoming Top Concerns with Microsoft Office and Windows Upgrades

ConverterTechnology — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:52:12 GMT

If your enterprise is still debating whether this is a good time to upgrade to the latest Windows or Microsoft Office version, then you are probably evaluating the pros and cons. We run into this “when is the right time” question all the time and we’ve identified the most common problems that occur during an upgrade and how can you overcome them.

First of all, you probably know that, sometime soon, you will need to upgrade as Microsoft announced that they are ending support for Windows XP in 2014. But the question you may be asking is - do you really need to? If it were not for the support issue, would your organization still be willing to spend budget on an enterprise-wide Microsoft Office or Windows upgrade?
One of the top concerns for an upgrade project is ROI-related. However, according to an IDC study, you can gain back as much as 375% on a Windows upgrade. As your users work with the latest tools, it will in turn increase productivity.
Crucial files have an increased risk of being damaged, this is a fact of upgrades, especially if you are upgrading from the 2003 version of Office. This is an issue while cannot necessarily be avoided, but can be alleviated by resolving compatibility issues and correctly identifying your most important files. ConverterTechnology offers tools, DiscoverIT and LinkLab that are designed to help you with these issues.
We say this all the time, proper planning of a Windows or Microsoft Windows upgrade can significant mitigate the risk of business disruption. This is why you should carefully estimate the time and effort needed and to allocate enough resources. The following is a link to an article we wrote on this subject:
Finally, there are also concerns raised about employees spending too much time or NOT getting familiar with the newest version and its capabilities. We always recommend that end user training and written or online resources be provided once the upgrade is done. Keep in mind too that each user will have their own learning curve in which to adjust to the new OS/Office package.

No matter what your top concern is, keep in mind that upgrades are an inevitable part of any business that uses these powerful tools. According to Gartner, the migration to Office 2010 and Windows XP is inevitable, so if you are not already planning for a migration you might want to start thinking about it. Planning will save your business from rushing through the upgrade and causing unnecessary problems.

The Hidden Problem of a Microsoft Office Upgrade

ConverterTechnology — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:16:25 GMT

Enterprise upgrades to newer versions of Microsoft Office can be problematic. There are things that can, and sometime do, go wrong during an upgrade, and one of the most common are broken links within documents. To add complexity to the situation, the links that usually break during the upgrade tend to be the most complex ones and associated with the most business critical files.

Microsoft Office is a very powerful productivity tool. And Office “power users” often will create links between files, like Excel file to others or to Word or Access files. These complex, but power files are shared between workers and end up behaving more like an application than a file. For example, many financial companies build Excel spreadsheets with business critical data and if links are broken during an upgrade, there is a huge potential risk. If one application or file fails for even one day, it could potentially result in losses of millions of dollars.

Usually links are broken because the files have a new extension (when migrating from Office 2003 to 2010 for example). To make things more complicated, in certain circumstances broken links are not often readily apparent. This is why broken links are often called the “hidden problems of an upgrade”.

ConverterTechnology recently introduced a new product, LinkLab, which can help find and fix broken links to avoid post upgrade problems. Usually, the IT department do not wish to be responsible for repairing links. LinkLab allows end-users to scan files themselves for broken links. Therefore, the pressure on the IT department is reduced. Calls to the help desk from end-users complaining about unusable files or links to outdated information will be greatly decreased, freeing IT to focus on the rest of the upgrade project. For the end-user, LinkLab has the advantage of being very easy to use, as it is an add-on to Microsoft’s Office ribbon and can be used well beyond the initial upgrade.

ConverterTechnology also offers other tools, such as DiscoverIT that can help enterprises inventory files at risk or of those that play a vital part in your business, and identify the files likely to cause problems, such as files containing VBA code and links.

Advanced planning can help prevent these problems. You can read more tips on how planning in advance helps avoid problems during and after a migration.