Network Support for Small Organizations

Meanwhile, all server, workstation, and laptop computers sold in the last few years already have the ability to run in 64-bit mode. As a Microsoft Partner with years of experience helping businesses carry out network-wide upgrades, Progent can help you understand the costs and benefits of moving to 64-bit processing, design an efficient migration strategy that minimizes operational disruptions, and provide affordable, expert remote support to assist you in upgrading your existing computers and software.

The advantages of 64-bit computing go beyond gigantic spreadsheets. Software is more stable, system performance improves, memory capacity expands, security can be more extensive, and more servers can be consolidated through virtualization. These advantages equate to more uptime, increased productivity, better data protection, and lower equipment costs. Yet for most small businesses, 64-bit computing is still a great untapped resource.

Sticking with 32-bit software and under utilizing 64-bit hardware seems to make no business sense, but in fact there are serious obstacles to migrating to 64-bit computing that have prompted companies to hold back. There is no seamless path for replacing a 32-bit operating system with a 64-bit equivalent. The upgrade requires a clean installation, which means reinstalling existing applications, backing up and restoring data, and installing new 64-bit drivers. In some cases, it can be difficult or impossible to find 64-bit drivers for older peripherals. To avoid business disruption and minimize technical risk, a 64-bit migration demands careful planning and extensive experience.

Advantages of Upgrading to 64-bit Processing
The advantages of 64-bit vs. 32-bit computing may seem vague and difficult to quantify, but they are significant. The RAM memory management schemes used in 32-bit operating systems are basically an engineering band-aid that limits stability. RAM-hungry programs are sometimes not allowed to access existing RAM since the O/S cannot allocate it effectively. This can be the cause of software freezing or executing erratically even when a machine seems to have ample unused RAM. Also, 64-bit software platforms support much more physical RAM than 32-bit systems and process twice as much data per clock cycle. You can also switch from one memory-hungry program to another more quickly when you are using a 64-bit system. Fundamentally, 64-bit processing makes environments more stable, more scalable, and faster, which makes companies more productive.

Microsoft's 64-bit Support
Microsoft's “x64” technology works with the 64-bit processors found in virtually all servers and desktop PCs currently installed in office networks. (Microsoft's "Itanium" support is restricted to special advanced Intel/AMD CPUs and is designed for environments that require massive multi-processing.) Before the release of Microsoft Office 2010, the majority of Microsoft desktop programs such as 2007 Office and Visual Studio 2005 were offered solely in 32-bit editions, which can nevertheless be run on x64 platforms. The latest generation of Microsoft Office 2010 offers dramatic enhancements. As an example, Microsoft Excel 2010 is available in a 64-bit edition that permits you to build spreadsheets with huge databases that are not limited to the 2-Gbyte file size that hampers 32-bit releases of Office Excel.

Microsoft offers native x64 editions of many Microsoft Server System products, such as Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and 2003, Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft Commerce Server 2007, BizTalk Server 2006, as well as Operations Manager. Windows Server x64 versions are priced and licensed identically to their 32-bit editions, so in most circumstances you pay nothing more for 64-bit server operating systems or hardware.

For client computers, Microsoft offers Windows 7 and Windows 8 in same-cost x64 editions that offer advanced stability, scalability, and throughput. Like all migrations from 32- to 64-bit operating systems, the upgrade can't be carried out seamlessly. Each desktop PC and server requires a clean setup that involves reinstalling application software, saving and restoring data files, and installing 64-bit device drivers. In fact, for most in-place desktop PCs, and for every PC running XP, even the 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows 7 or 8 will require you to carry out a "from scratch" installation. Consequently, there has never been a better opportunity to migrate to 64-bit computing on the desktop, since it will involve little additional work.

How Progent Can Help You to Migrate to 64-bit Computing
In addition to assisting your organization to understand the practical benefits, costs, and technical variables attached to upgrading to 64-bit processing, Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can help you design, document, carry out, administer, and troubleshoot a network-wide move to 64-bit server and desktop operating systems and business applications. Progent can help you pilot your 64-bit infrastructure to verify that it supports all of the important 32-bit programs which you want to retain as well as the new 64-bit editions of applications you wish to install. If adopting Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 is included in your 64-bit upgrade strategy, Progent's certified Windows 7 engineers, Windows 8.1 consultants, and Windows 10 testing and migration experts can help you to decide which workstation computers and programs can or ought to be retained, and outline a migration procedure that is minimally disturbing to your business operations.

Additional ways Progent's consultants can assist you to upgrade to x64 processing include:

• Progent's experience providing online network consulting and troubleshooting can save you time and expense over the course of your x64 migration, and Progent's background cooperating with internal support staffs and delivering technical information sharing to them can increase the effectiveness of your support team.

• Progent's Cisco CCIE network consultants can make sure that your network infrastructure is optimized to accommodate your x64 processing solution, that it is simple to track, manage, and troubleshoot, and that it provides a high level of data protection and fault tolerance.

• Progent's business continuity engineers can help you in developing and testing a workplace recovery plan that includes your 64-bit servers. Progent's Microsoft certified System Center SCDPM engineering experts can help you to configure Microsoft System Center System Center Data Protection Manager to provide automated online backup with the capability of rapid data restoration.

• Progent's CISM, CISSP, GIAC, and CISA security experts can assist you develop a company-wide security plan that implements some of the powerful protection technologies included with x64 server platforms. Progent can also perform network security vulnerability testing to assess or verify your network's compliance with industry or government security standards.

• Progent's virtualization experts can show you how to benefit from 64-bit virtual server solutions to conserve hardware resources, simplify management, enhance fault tolerance, cut colocation costs, and reduce restoration time in the event of a catastrophic breakdown.

• Progent's online training classes can help get your IT management staff and your desktop employees up to date rapidly and affordably by delivering remote virtual training customized for your computing environment and operational processes.