That strategy seems to be working for the Krannert Graduate School of Management, where Hoover's team has started with PCs that have simple configurations and little customization. By starting small, Hoover says his team can make sure they are doing it right and make the process more automated over time. Another strategy is to turn to a third-party software tool that helps retain user settings during the porting from one operating system to another. One such tool is Personality Tranxport Professional from Tranxition, which captures thousands of elements of the computer's user state, according to Tranxition president Ken Mackin. Terrill chose the Tranxition software to ease the migration from Windows NT to 2000, noting that the product can save time and anguish.
Training is another important issue.
By training the IT manager in the new operating system's idiosyncrasies, companies can do much to ease the pain of transition, he says.