Desktop Consulting and Support Services

Microsoft Windows 7 is a legacy desktop operating system that introduced new levels of performance, security, and reliability. In comparison to prior releases of Microsoft's flagship OS, Windows 7 offered faster startup, better resource sharing, simpler networking, and streamlined administration. Windows 7 also represented a great opportunity for businesses to upgrade to 64-bit computing on the desktop.

End of Support for Windows 7
Microsoft has placed Windows 7 on End of Support status. This means that Microsoft offers no technical support for any issues and no longer provides software or security updates or patches. Although computers running Windows 7 can still function, End of Support status can bring about a growing list of undesirable issues concerned with cybersecurity, compliance, application compatibility, and even civil liability. If you are considering an upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 or Windows 11, Progent's Windows 10 and Windows 11 consultants can help you determine the potential benefit of a modern version of Windows for your business and can help you plan and execute a cost-effective migration to Windows 10 or Windows 11 based on leading practices.

Progent's Services for Migrating from Windows 7
Progent's methodology for migrating to Windows 7 is based on proven best practices that contain costs and minimize service disruption. Progent can help you assess the business case for upgrading to Windows 7 and can assist you in any phase of your Windows 7 migration, from planning to project management and execution. Depending on the size of your network and the sophistication of your infrastructure, your best Windows 7 deployment strategy may be in-place, side-by-side, highly automated or mostly manual. Progent can help you determine which approach will be the most reliable and cost effective for your environment.

For large-scale migrations to Windows 7, the use of computer imaging is the recommended way to save time and avoid errors. This involves establishing baseline desktop configurations for different environments within a company network and capturing these configurations as images that can be replicated automatically to appropriate desktop PCs. images include the operating system, drivers, and core applications, making it possible to standardize the way your desktops are configured and avoiding the delay and errors associated with manual installation.

Windows 7 migration services available from Progent include:

• Make an inventory of your hardware and software and determine the feasibility of deploying Windows 7
• Create a licensing and activation plan
• Evaluate and resolve application and driver compatibility issues
• Select and automate processes for capturing and deploying desktop imaging
• Set up image and deployment servers
• Specify the baseline image with core applications, group policy, and security settings
• Create a plan for installing supplemental applications and personal data
• Create custom Windows PE bootable images/
• Set up a pilot environment to test and validate the operation of imaging and deployment servers
• Test your key applications running on your pilot environment under Windows 7
• Deploy desktop images using automated tools to save time and reduce service disruption

Windows 7 Management and Support Services
Progent offers a broad range of support services that can help companies maximize the business value of their Windows 7 desktops:

Help Desk Call Center Services
Progent's online Help Desk Call Center support team, staffed with Microsoft-certified professionals, offers your Windows 7 users fast access to a reliable resource for phone support and remote troubleshooting. Progent focuses on giving the Help Desk a reputation as a solid contributor to your business success by solving problems rather than merely tracking them. You can outsource all your desktop Call Center support to Progent or use Progent as a seamless extension of your in-house Help Desk. Progent also offers consulting services to help you incorporate the most advanced technology and proven processes for building or enhancing your Help Desk Call Center.

Windows 7 Configuration Management Automation
Progent's desktop administration experts can show you how to streamline the management of your Windows 7 PCs. Progent's veteran engineers have in-depth experience providing Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager consulting to automate network management, increase security, improve productivity by ensuring that all application updates are current, track licensing compliance, and monitor usage patterns to drive a more efficient purchasing strategy. Progent can also help you upgrade to Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager from Microsoft SMS Server or other legacy change management platforms. For Office 365 environments, Progent can help provide Microsoft Intune consulting for advanced cloud-based management of Windows 7 computers along with mobile devices powered by Apple iOS, Android, or Windows. In addition, Progent's wireless mobility consultants can help you create a secure Intune-managed Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) environment by providing services such as Apple iPhone and iPad integration, Google Android phone and tablet consulting, and RIM BlackBerry expertise.

Security and Compliance Consulting
Progent's security engineers offer a range of affordable network security vulnerability assessment service packages designed to give businesses an objective analysis of their network security profile. Progent's internal security assessment packages can automatically scan the Windows 7 desktop PCs within your network firewall to detect configuration issues which may become vectors for malicious attacks or data theft. For each security vulnerability scanning package, Progent's certified security engineers evaluate the collected data, create summary reports, and offer practical suggestions for efficient mitigation.

Disaster Recovery
Progent's consulting experts can assist your company to configure a fault-tolerant system architecture with features that can include Microsoft Windows Hyper-V failover clustering, auto-failover Internet connections, system load balancing, and strategic data centers. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-certified network engineers can show you how to utilize virtualization to enhance availability and optimize productivity by quickly restoring Windows 7 desktops. Progent can also help develop and document a comprehensive business continuity plan that includes near-continual online backup with Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager.

Live Online Training for Windows 7 Desktop Applications
Progent provides live online training for an array of client programs and operating systems including Microsoft Office Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio, Acrobat Writer, Adobe Photoshop CS, Crystal Reports, and Microsoft Windows 7. Interactive virtual classrooms offer the advantages of traditional classroom seminars, including immediate communication between students and instructors, but avoids the costs of transportation and the challenge of trying to synchronize the schedules of multiple students. Offered to individuals or groups of all sizes, live online training permits the trainer to conduct the class from a remote facility while the clients can be spread across a campus or all over the country. Progent's webinar classrooms utilize powerful learning aids such as virtual white boards, real-time questions, and shared desktops. Sessions can be short and targeted for specialized subjects or longer and broader in scope. Teachers and students can work through examples individually or as a class.

To learn more about Progent's consulting expertise for Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008, phone 1-800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.