Earnings warnings, the dot-com bust and flat IT budgets show us that 2001 will be a year of continuing challenges for managers of Windows networks. IT professionals face increasing complexity of technology, high employee turnover, system and security audits, and the need to keep systems running smoothly with flat budgets. In addition, many companies are managing a migration from Windows NT to Windows 2000 this year. All of these conditions will put heavy demands on IT managers to plan, staff and manage the process.

One vital strategy IT managers can mount is to simplify their IT infrastructure. This might sound like common sense -- and it is -- but those on the front lines say loudly and clearly that their teams don't have the time to manually document systems to see what they have, establish and enforce configuration standards, or prepare for IT audits. Too much time is spent troubleshooting problems, consolidating servers and networks, and training new and existing IT personnel. But if IT managers take the time to document all their mission-critical IT systems, they will be able to better manage these issues and have better control of systems, budgets and careers.

Planning and implementing a Windows 2000 migration is one of the most important projects IT managers face and presents many new benefits to an organization. But getting to Windows 2000 will introduce challenges to the IT staff and the business as a whole. To help manage and reduce these challenges, here are my eight recommendations:

1. Capture and retain your NT network knowledge. With employee turnover, the number of projects placed on your IT staff and other challenges, it's vital to have a good picture of your infrastructure. Understanding the current infrastructure is of paramount importance. Windows 2000 is architecturally very different from Windows NT. In order to optimize your migration plan, make sure you have a detailed understanding of your current infrastructure.

2. Document, document, document. Most likely, the team that installed your original Windows NT network isn't around, and probably the team that installs Windows 2000 won't be around for the next upgrade, so put it in writing. Tools that automate the process of capturing configuration data and documenting can help.

3. Track your progress There are typically five stages to a Windows 2000 deployment: assessment, planning and design, pilot, implementation and post-implementation review. Maintaining documentation of server configurations throughout each stage of the migration will help minimize oversights, facilitate rollbacks and allow for easier identification of milestone achievements.

4. Cover all areas. Make sure you document and have a clear understanding of:

Hardware Determine whether your current hardware will support an upgrade to Windows 2000 (e.g., CPU, RAM, etc.).

Installed applications. Confirm that they will continue to provide the services that are business-critical to your company in a Windows 2000 network.

Users' access to resources. The impact on access to resources depends on the Windows 2000 implementation process you use. There are pros and cons to each approach, so make sure that your staff understands these important issues and that they verify that users will have access to resources during and after the migration.

Services running on servers and accounts used (e.g., DHCP, WINS, DNS). Again, you should confirm that the services that are business-critical to your company will continue during and after the migration.

5. Know your DNS Your DNS architecture is critical to the success of a Windows 2000 implementation. Invest the time to understand and plan the implementation of DNS in your environment and how that will serve your Windows 2000 needs.

6. Consolidate and standardize. Make your IT staff more efficient by reducing the overall breadth of knowledge that your IT staff must have to support your environment. Reduce the variety of versions, service packs and hot fixes you need to support. Establish and stick with standards for your hardware, operating systems, and corporatewide configuration settings. Standards will help to minimize changes, which will reduce the number of fires that your IT staff is trying to snuff out.

7. Share the knowledge. Create a core reference manual and share it with your team to enhance project management. Sharing information among the team and with any other applicable individuals is key to the success of the project. The documentation will also help retain your company's IT knowledge and greatly assist in bringing new hires up to speed quickly.

8. Test, test and test again. Test your migration procedures to verify at each step that the desired outcome is achieved. Confirm that users have access to the services, applications and resources required to perform daily responsibilities. Confirm that desired levels of security have been achieved.

All of these steps require organization and good documentation. Software tools like Ecora Corp.'s Documentors can automate much of these processes. By drastically reducing the number of human hours required to collect and document configuration information of both your current Windows NT and planned Windows 2000 systems, you can better manage your investment of time and money in the project. That's particularly important for large companies that have many servers and thus large amounts of configuration information to manage. Windows 2000 adds enough complexity. Armed with a thorough, documented knowledge of your current and planned system, you'll be well on your way to a successful installation.

» posted by ITworld staff

Computer World

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