Network Support for Midsize Businesses

With most business networks, 64-bit computing is a giant untapped power source. Both Intel and AMD, the leading CPU manufacturers, have been delivering 64-bit capability in their commodity CPUs for years, with the result that all classes of business computing hardware such as notebooks, desktop PCs, engineering workstations and back-office servers already possess the ability to run in 64-bit mode. Yet most of these in-place devices still host 32-bit operating systems.

The primary cause for this common reluctance to participate in the 64-bit millennium is that the business benefit for updating in-place computers has seemed to be small in relation to the effort needed. There is no automatic path to migrate from a 32-bit to a 64-bit OS. The enhancement demands a clean installation, which means reinstalling existing applications, saving and restoring data, and installing new drivers. This requires thoughtful planning to do economically. Furthermore, most desktop applications are still available only in 32-bit versions, so where's the benefit?

Advantages of Moving Up to 64-bit Processing
The benefits of 64-bit over 32-bit computing may appear to be subtle and hard to define precisely, but they are real. The memory partitioning techniques used in 32-bit OS platforms are basically a technical band-aid that undermines system stability. Memory-hungry programs are often unable to utilize free RAM because the operating system cannot allocate it effectively. This can be the cause of software freezing or running fitfully even though a machine seems to have ample available RAM. Also, 64-bit software platforms allow far more physical RAM than 32-bit systems and process more information per CPU cycle. You can also jump from one memory-hungry program to another more quickly when you are running in a 64-bit system. Basically, 64-bit computing makes environments more reliable, more scalable, and more efficient, which makes businesses more competitive.

Microsoft's 64-bit Support
Microsoft's “x64” technology supports the 64-bit processors found in virtually all computers currently deployed in office IT environments. (Microsoft's "Itanium" initiative is restricted to a few high-end Intel/AMD CPUs and is designed for environments that need large-scale multi-processing.) Prior to the release of Office 2010, most Microsoft client programs including 2007 Office and Visual Studio 2005 were offered only in 32-bit versions, which can still be used on x64 Windows. The latest generation of Microsoft Office offers dramatic improvements. For example, Microsoft Excel 2010 is offered in a 64-bit edition that allows you to build spreadsheets with enormous databases that are not restricted by the 2-gigabyte file size that hampers 32-bit editions of Microsoft Office Excel.

Microsoft offers true x64 editions of key Microsoft Server platforms, including Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and 2005, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 and 2007, Microsoft Commerce Server, BizTalk Server, as well as Operations Manager. Microsoft Windows Server x64 editions are priced and licensed identically to 32-bit versions, so ordinarily it costs nothing extra for 64-bit server operating systems or machines.

For desktop PCs, Microsoft supplies Windows 7 and Windows 8 in same-price x64 editions that provide high stability, scalability, and performance. As with all upgrades from 32-bit to 64-bit operating systems, the move up can't be carried out seamlessly. Every workstation and server needs a clean setup that entails reconfiguring applications, saving and recovering data, and configuring 64-bit device drivers. On the other hand, for typical in-place workstations, and for all PCs running Windows XP, any release of Windows 7 or 8 requires you to carry out a "from scratch" install. This being the case, there will never be a better time to migrate to 64-bit computing on the desktop, since it will require little extra effort.

How Progent Can Help You to Upgrade to 64-bit Computing
Besides helping you to understand the business advantages, expenses, and technical risks associated with migrating to 64-bit computing, Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can help you plan, document, carry out, administer, and troubleshoot a network-wide migration to 64-bit server and desktop OS software and applications. Progent can help you test your 64-bit environment to make sure it supports all of the key 32-bit applications which you intend to retain plus the new 64-bit editions of applications you wish to install. If adopting Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 is part of your 64-bit upgrade strategy, Progent's certified Windows 7 engineers, Windows 8.1 migration consultants, and Windows 10 evaluation and upgrade experts can help you to decide which workstation computers and applications can or should be preserved, and design a migration process that is minimally disruptive to your network operations.

Additional ways Progent's consultants can help you to upgrade to 64-bit processing include:

• Progent's expertise providing online network support services can save your business effort and expense during your 64-bit migration, and Progent's background working with in-house support staffs and providing technical knowledge transfer to them can improve the effectiveness of your support staff.

• Progent's Cisco CCIE network consultants can make sure that your network infrastructure is configured to support your 64-bit computing environment, that it is easy to track, administer, and troubleshoot, and that it offers a high level of data protection and reliability.

• Progent's business continuity engineers can assist you in creating and testing a business continuity plan that includes your 64-bit servers. Progent's Microsoft certified System Center System Center Data Protection Manager consulting experts can assist you to configure Microsoft System Center SCDPM to support automated remote backup with the advantage of fast system restoration.

• Progent's CISM and CISA security engineers can help you create a company-wide security strategy that deploys some of the new security mechanisms incorporated into 64-bit server platforms. Progent can also perform security vulnerability testing to assess or confirm your network's adherence to mandated security standards.

• Progent's virtualization experts can show you how to use 64-bit virtual server solutions to save money on equipment, streamline administration, improve fault tolerance, cut colocation costs, and reduce restoration time in case of a disaster.

• Progent's online education can help get both your network support staff and your office workers up to date rapidly and cost-effectively by providing online virtual training specialized for your network requirements and business processes.