Microsoft has been encouraging its XP client base to replace Service Pack 1 by rolling out Service Pack 2 (SP 2) since September 2004, but some clients have found this to be a tricky process. SP 2 was designed by Microsoft to bolster security for the XP desktop operating system, but it hit problems after launch as it emerged it clashed with at least 200 commercial applications in addition to end-users own internally developed software.
Peter McCartney, head of Microsoft solutions at infrastructure reseller and managed services firm Computacenter, said that deploying SP 2 is causing a lot of grief for some of its clients. The company is currently working with a UK police force to help them test their applications for compatibility with SP 2. He said: A lot of their apps won’t work with SP 2, and they need to ensure that their systems are secure and running all the latest patches.
Computacenter offers a service called Applications Impact Assessment for SP 2, where it takes a customer’s applications and runs them against a database listing the compatibility of various applications in different environments with SP 2. The end result is that the client can determine if and where they are likely to run into any problems.
Gary Marsden, portfolio and alliances manager at infrastructure services vendor Getronics, a close partner of Microsoft, said a lot of XP clients have not deployed SP 2. He said: Clients still have questions about the cost and the time it would take to deploy SP 2. They wonder if they upgrade now, will they have to do it all again in 18 months time when Vista comes out?
However, Getronics has seen SP 2 deployments gain momentum in the last six months. Marsden said: Clients are attracted to SP 2 as they see it as being more stable and secure, and recent deployments have been driven by virus attacks at the end of last year.
McCartney at Computacenter said that companies that have yet to roll out SP 2 face two choices: Either implement SP 2 and spend a potentially large amount of time on testing the compatibility of your applications, or stick with SP 1 and take a business risk that some of your applications won’t have the latest security protection. The testing process could cost tens of thousands of pounds, but on the other hand, the cost to a bank having downtime on its core applications could run into the millions.
Microsoft would not disclose what percentage of its XP client base have deployed SP 2 so far. In April 2005, IT asset tracking specialist AssetMetrix (which has since been acquired by Microsoft) claimed that less than a quarter of PCs running Windows XP had installed SP2.
Microsoft will also pull the plug on the final level of online support for the NT4 platform at the end of this year, having already phased out most other support over the last 18 months.
McCartney at Computacenter, said that some NT4 customers had negotiated extended short-term support deals to give them extra time to handle the applications testing process, on the proviso that they would eventually upgrade to XP. But he added: Most mainstream support for NT4 has already been pulled and there are very few clients still using NT4 workstations. Most have already gone to XP.
Hewlett-Packard Services, one of Microsoft’s major global services partners, said that it is currently working with a UK-based financial services organization with a large number of NT4 clients to help them upgrade to XP. Gerry Sheridan, head of HP’s services business in the UK and Ireland, said: The most complicated part of the process is ensuring that the applications are tested and prepared for the new version, which can take as long as a year.
Joe Baguely, product director at migration technology specialists Quest Software, agreed that most NT4 clients have already upgraded to XP or are at least in the process of making the switch. He said: I don’t predict any major NT4 migrations later this year, and there are no NT4 sites left that have yet to start the migration process. I can’t think of any major organizations using NT4 that haven’t already migrated or at least started doing so. Baguely said sales of Quest’s migration software for NT4 to XP were at similar levels in 2004 and 2005, but he expects them to be considerably less this year. He said: Most people are well done the road on NT4 migration. There won’t be many projects running over into next year.
