Computer Network Support for Midsize Businesses

With the majority of office IT systems, 64-bit processing is a giant unexploited power source. Intel and AMD, the leading CPU makers, have been delivering 64-bit capability in their mainstream CPUs for years, with the result that all types of business computing hardware such as laptops, desktop computers, engineering workstations and back-office servers already have the architecture to run in 64-bit mode. However the majority of these in-place computers still run 32-bit operating systems.

The primary cause for this widespread reluctance to participate in the 64-bit revolution is that the real benefit for updating in-place systems has seemed to be small in relation to the effort required. There is no automatic path to migrate from a 32-bit to a 64-bit OS. The enhancement requires a clean installation, which calls for reinstalling current programs, backing up and restoring data, and installing new 64-bit drivers. This requires thorough planning to carry out efficiently. Furthermore, most office applications are still available only in 32-bit versions, so what's the advantage?

Advantages of Moving Up to 64-bit Computing
The advantages of 64-bit vs. 32-bit processing may appear to be subtle and difficult to define precisely, but they are real. The RAM memory management schemes utilized by 32-bit operating systems are essentially an engineering afterthought that undermines stability. Memory-hungry applications are often not able to utilize free memory because the operating system cannot allocate it efficiently. This results in programs freezing or executing erratically even when a computer seems to have ample unused memory. Also, 64-bit software platforms allow much more addressable RAM than 32-bit systems and process more data per clock cycle. You can also jump from one memory-hungry application to another more quickly while using a 64-bit environment. Fundamentally, 64-bit computing makes environments more reliable, more scalable, and faster, which in turn makes companies more competitive.

Microsoft's 64-bit Processing Initiative
Microsoft's “x64” software supports the 64-bit CPUs used in most computers now deployed in office IT environments. (Microsoft's "Itanium" initiative is restricted to special high-end Intel/AMD CPUs and is intended for applications that require massive multi-processing.) Before the release of Office 2010, most Microsoft desktop applications including 2007 Office and Visual Studio 2005 were offered only in 32-bit editions, which can nevertheless be run on x64 platforms. The new family of Office 2010 offers dramatic enhancements. For example, Microsoft Excel 2010 is available in a 64-bit version that allows you to create spreadsheets with huge datasets that are not restricted by the 2-gigabyte file size imposed by previous editions of Microsoft Office Excel.

Microsoft offers true x64 editions of key Microsoft Server platforms, including Windows Server 2008 and 2003, Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft Commerce Server, BizTalk Server, as well as System Center Operations Manager. Microsoft Windows Server 64-bit versions are priced and licensed the same as their 32-bit editions, so in most circumstances it costs nothing extra for 64-bit server operating systems or hardware.

For desktop PCs, Microsoft offers Windows 7 and Windows 8 in same-price x64 editions that offer advanced stability, scalability, and performance. As with all upgrades from 32-bit to 64-bit platforms, the move up can't be carried out seamlessly. Every workstation and server requires a clean setup that involves reinstalling applications, saving and recovering data, and configuring 64-bit drivers. On the other hand, for typical in-place workstations, and for all PCs powered by Microsoft Windows XP, the 32 or 64-bit version of Windows 7 or Windows 8 requires you to perform a clean install. This being the case, there has never been a better opportunity to move to 64-bit processing on the workstation, since it will involve scarcely any additional effort.

How Progent Can Help Your Business to Migrate to 64-bit Computing
In addition to assisting your organization to evaluate the business benefits, costs, and technical risks associated with upgrading to 64-bit processing, Progent's Microsoft-certified engineers can help you plan, document, carry out, manage, and troubleshoot a system-wide move to 64-bit server and client operating systems and applications. Progent can help you test your 64-bit environment to verify that it supports all of the key 32-bit applications that you want to retain as well as the latest 64-bit versions of applications you wish to run. If adopting Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 is part of your x64 migration strategy, Progent's certified Windows 7 engineers, Windows 8.1 migration consultants, and Windows 10 evaluation and migration consultants can help you to determine which desktop hardware and programs can or should be retained, and outline a migration process that is minimally disturbing to your business operations.

Other ways Progent's consultants can assist you to migrate to x64 processing include:

• Progent's expertise delivering remote network support services can save your business effort and money during your 64-bit upgrade, and Progent's experience cooperating with internal support staffs and delivering technical knowledge transfer to them can increase the efficiency of your network support team.

• Progent's certified Cisco CCIE network consultants can make sure that your network infrastructure is configured to accommodate your x64 processing environment, that it is easy to track, administer, and troubleshoot, and that it offers a high degree of security and robustness.

• Progent's disaster recovery consultants can help you in creating and validating a disaster recovery strategy that includes your 64-bit servers. Progent's Microsoft certified Microsoft System Center System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) support experts can assist you to configure System Center System Center Data Protection Manager to provide automated online backup with the capability of rapid data restoration.

• Progent's CISM and CISA certified security experts can help you create a company-wide security plan that deploys some of the new protection mechanisms incorporated into x64 servers. Progent can also perform security vulnerability checking to evaluate or verify your network's adherence to mandated security requirements.

• Progent's virtualization experts can show you how to benefit from 64-bit virtual server technology to save money on hardware resources, streamline administration, enhance fault tolerance, lower hosting costs, and reduce restoration time in the event of a catastrophic breakdown.

• Progent's live online instruction can help bring both your IT management team and your office workers up to speed quickly and cost-effectively by providing online webinars customized for your computing environment and business processes.