Enterprises will face a major decision in 2020 when Microsoft cuts support for their Windows Mobile and Windows CE OS. Savvy businesses will use this as an opportunity to rebuild their applications in a more optimal platform. No matter what you choose you must go through the challenge of this transition. Not to fear, we put together an easy to follow guide on how to make the transition quick and painless and potentially very beneficial for your company.
1. How to Decide Which Industrial Mobility OS is Right for You
Right now there are over 15 million enterprise devices dependent on a Windows legacy OS that will need to make this decision. You are not alone. You're actually ahead of the rest for beginning your transition earlier than later. Why wait to benefit from your new OS?
Windows or Android
You can choose to stay with Windows or move over to Google's Android. Note that transitioning to Windows is not less work, as some might think. A Windows to Windows transition will still require a complete software rebuild. Which is why so many enterprises are choosing to go with Android.
In addition, Android is currently at 80% market share of the mobile market. is best positioned to become the dominant mobile OS in the industrial setting. Take the time to do some research of your own on Windows, Android or potentially iOS. Understanding the benefits and limitations of each OS is important before moving on to the next step.
2. Select an OS Migration Expert
Find a service provider that understand your business needs and has a proven track record with OS migration. Take the time to communicate clearly the needs of your company and ensure your provider understand your expectations. It may be a cliché, but don't be afraid to ask questions. This can safe you time in the long run.
3. Plan for the Future
Take into account your company's future and growth. This migration is not just a short-term solution. Take some time to consider what your company's needs will be in 5 years, 10 years. It's often easier to plan for a solution that can grow with your company rather than scramble to keep up with your company's growing needs.
4. Assess the Skillset of Your Team When is Comes to OS Migration
Depending on the size and industry of your company you may already have employees with skills in this field that you can leverage. This may be a time to train up an employee that already has an interest or predisposition for industrial mobility solutions. Consider including these team members in the migration process, if they are there for Day 1 of the new OS then they will be able to have a deeper understating of the solution. This will be beneficial in the long term when you look to do maintenance.
5. Take a Quick Inventory of Your Hardware
What is the condition of your hardware devices? This may account into the budget and timing of your migration. Although often separated by engineers hardware and software are very dependent in this situation. Can you stay with the hardware you currently utilize for the next few years? Are you overdue for an upgrade? The OS you choose can rely on the hardware you depend on.
6. Create a Detailed Project Plan
Enterprise OS migrations impact all company employees whether directly or indirectly. Preventing and planning for any issues that may some up during the migration process is crucial. It may be useful to sit down with your core team and discuss any issues that may come up internally during migration. This will allow you to plan ahead for any problems and optimize for success.
As this migration will involve multiple team members, the project plan should clearly state who is responsible for which task. It's important for everyone to have clearly defined roles and deadlines so that a single individual holds no one up. To go further you may want to implement a plan for the chance that the project is being held up by a single task. How would you move to eliminate that obstacle as quickly as possible? Perhaps have a team ready to take on this task? Appoint someone to be a sweeper?
7. Make OS Management Easy
Technology is an ever-changing organism. With updates being pushed out on yearly, sometimes-monthly basis the new skill set of today is adaptability. Make sure that you have a strategy in place for maintenance of your devices and new OS. If you work with a great service provider you will always be able to come back to them with questions or additional assistance. (If you're looking to start now let us know.)
