Advantages and Disadvantages of Windows Server 2008 - Case Study Example

Windows Server 2008 Windows Server 2008 refers to a Server released by Microsoft as an up to the Windows Vista Server. The release of this server came with additional features such as improved security and more use friendly applications. This document serves to showcase the advantages and disadvantages of the system. It also shows the procedure to be undertaken when migrating from a previous server to Windows Server 2008. To start off, a SWOT analysis of the server shows a four sided viewpoint of the server. SWOT analysis on the viability of upgrading to Server 2008 Strengths Weaknesses 1. Windows Server has bit locker technology that encrypts all the data and does not allow unauthorized boots to the server 2. The new Server has new features such as GUI and applications which will help the less experienced/slower users to find their way. 1. It will be costly to instal a new server. Items such as licences will increase the cost as per the number of computers to be installed with the new server 2. Since the upgrade involves a bigger server, there will be a need for a bigger processor Opportunities Threats New Server means better management, which will improve service delivery. 1. By upgrading, the firm risks compatibility issues. It will be necessary to wait till the upgrading of all drivers. 2. The upgrade bears risks of losing essential data. Considerations of migrating to Server 2008 a. Technical aspects The technical aspects to be considered when migrating to Server 2008 include the compatibility of the new server with the current computers in place. If the system will not be compatible with the hardware in place, there will be a need for new hardware (TechGrant, 2012). b. Business aspects The crucial business aspects to be considered when upgrading to Server 2008 involves the cost to be incurred. The new Server will have to be bought, and for every computer installed with the server, their licences will have to be paid. In this respect, only the necessary computers should be installed with the new server. This aims at avoiding incurring unnecessary costs. Costs will increase in case of lack of compatibility between the new servers with the hardware. This will have the company digging deeper into their pockets for new hardware. Benefits of Server 2008 for Wingtip Toys The server happens to be used universally. As of 2009, 98% of of the Fortune Top 100 Companies use the server (Rist, 2011). This means that the company’s employees will not have a hard time adapting to it due to its popularity. The popularity arises from it being user friendly hence the quick adaptation. Additionally, companies looking to network to build a strong e-network platform will find it easier to do so in the Windows 2008 Server. The new Server will serve to improve the quality of service given. The virtual server can be moved from one physical host computer to another without consuming any downtime. The ability to do so saves a lot of time in the case of a computer crash. The company will find this to be a significant advantage since time happens to be just as essential. Windows Server 2008 conserves power usage more than any other Window Server. This will go a long way in lowering expenses such as power bills. Additionally, the consumption of less power means that the Server will have fewer breakdowns due to overheating. Minimum hardware requirements and related costs The minimum hardware requirements for the new Windows Server 2008 include: a. A minimum of 1 gigahertz processor (32 bit) and 1.4 gigahertz processor (64 bit). The recommended processor should be at least 2 gigahertz. For Itanium based systems, an Intel Itanium 2 processor would be recommended. b. The minimum memory required would be a 512 MB RAM. The recommended memory would be 2GB or bigger c. The minimum hard disk space would be 1o gigabytes, but the recommended would be 40 gigabytes. d. It would be necessary to have a DVD-ROM drive. e. The minimum resolution required would be a Super VGA (600*800). The minimum cost requirement includes: a. The cost for the Windows’ Server 2008 goes for approximately $2999. b. The licences New Features of Server 2008 that can contribute to the effectiveness of Wingtip Toys’ business of manufacturing and selling toys The Server has additional features such as disk management improvements. These improvements help in the storage and back up of files. One key improvement involves the use of internet Windows Recovery Environment which allows the user to recover from errors and start a boot process when necessary. This coupled with the ability to resize hard disk partitions without the need for a boot makes the server more stable than its predecessors. Strategies to be used to provide secure network access to Wingtip Toys’ employees located in satellite offices With the installation of new protocol services, the network promises to be far much more secure. The system uses elliptic curve cryptography which employs the use of algebraic numbers. The cryptography ensures that all information and data sent via the network cannot be tapped. The main security improvement involves the use of Mutual authentication whereby both the server and the user first assure each other of their identity before any transaction takes place. This improvement will work to ensure that the information passed through the network will not land in the wrong hands even after safe transition through the network (Rist, 2011). A real world’s organisational information technology migrations plan; either hardware, software The migration plan of a company should take several considerations .The considerations should be in line with the steps taken as follows and as given by TechNet (2013). 1. Recognising the risk behind the migration process. The process of migrating has massive importance because the equipment used to handle daily lives evolves daily. Even with software migration, there may be the lack of compatibility between previous hardware and current software. This may in turn call for a thorough migration process that involves both the software and hardware. The migration will, however, come at a cost and with substantial risks. With software migration, the company risks losing data or authenticity of the data. Failure of the new system remains to be the most dangerous of all risks involved in software migration. This risk feature in the threats part of the SWOT analysis, 2. Recognising the importance of recorded data/information. Records have an essential purpose in any organisation. They can be used as evidence of transactions or references for later days. All records involved in the migration process should be recognised and preserved well. It would be extremely necessary to have a back up. This serves as a preparation in case of a malfunction whereby they may end up getting lost. Some of these records include: Word documents Email Records Spreadsheets Databases 3. Migration should be used to preserve long term business records. Business records that have a long term presence and need to be used in later times should be the main focus of the migration. These records could be used for legal purposes or informational reasons for a period of over 30 years. When identified from the field of records listed, the records should be stored separately in an extra back up to ensure their safety. 4. Identifying migration triggers and the level of migration involved. The main levels of migration fall into 3 categories. The first category involves transition from one system to another one with a close similarity to the first one. This migration goes by name of minor functionality change. The second transition, medium levels of functionality change, records movement from one system to another with different but upgraded functionality. The third migration involves a change to a wholly new and different system. With these different types of migration, different planning methods need to be put in place in order to make sure that the data cannot get lost in the process. Usually when the upgrade happens to be big, risk of losing crucial data becomes larger (Rist, 2011). 5. Plan for migration. The plan for the migration happens to be the most important section of the migration. Here, the process of transition becomes analysed with all the necessary steps being put in place. A well done planning will result in a successful migration but poorly done planning promises to bring out chaos. The planning processinvolves: a. Data cleaning – data such as people who no longer work in the organisation should not make it to the new system. b. Metadata - only the most necessary metadata should be transferred to the new system. Transferring all the metadata may give way to unnecessary clustering and consumption of space in the new system. c. Identifying independent systems –as muchas the previous system worked for all, there can be independent systems established by the staff. When planning for the migration, it would be important to consider these systems in order to integrate them with the new system. d. Identifying diverse records stored in different formats –these records may have been involved in several migrations or could be in form of emails. It would be necessary to consider them since they may can easily go unnoticed. 6. Contractors The contractors hired to carry out the migration should be informed about all the procedures that they need to carry out. The company should be given a detailed explanation of the functions of the new system to be put in place. Additionally, the contractors should also explain how users will operate the new system and the destination of all the records in the new system. 7. Pre – Migration testing The pre migration testing seeks to find out the authenticity of migrated records after migration. The testing should be done whereby the records on migration should be used as a basis for the real migration. In case of a failure, the whole process should be reconsidered and all the mistakes analysed. With the analysis, any loopholes emerging should be covered. The process should be repeated in order to see if it will succeed or not. In case of a success, the process should be repeated in order to ensure its validity. In case of another failure, the whole process should be changed. The change should be from the beginning so as to prevent disastrous results. 8. The Migration As a step of caution, all the data to be migrated should be duplicated. This makes sure that there will be data even in case of loss/corruption of data. The migration should be done in an unbroken chain of custody in order to ensure the authenticity of the data. Continuous quality check should be done in order to make sure that the process goes on successfully. 9. Post Migration Testing This should be done in order to make sure that the migration went on well. The testing should not necessarily be done not all the data, but a sample to represent the whole. If the migration testing proves the migration to be unsuccessful, the migration should be redone. Methods to be used to test the migration should be like routine bit level validation. The migration testing results should be documented. 10. Records of the migration It would be necessary to make records of the entire migration process. These records should include the records involved in the migration, the purpose of migration and any relevant research. The decisions to avoid transferring all the metadata should also be documented. The plan laid out prior, during and after the migration should also be documented with all the details put in place. 11. Preserve source records for at least 6 months The source records from which the migration originated should be preserved for at least six months. This period should begin from the conclusion of the successful migration process. In the case of a high risk migration process, the source records should be preserved for a longer time. 12. Strategic viewpoint of the migration Factors such as the need for migration in the first place should be considered. This aims at creating a target and the next step for the company. Taking advantage of the new aspects of the migration should be the priority after the migration. Retaining source records for the long term or short term should be analysed in this situation (TechNet, 2013). References Rist, O. (2011). Windows Server 2008 Top 5 Benefits for Todays Workforce. Retrieved from http://blogs.technet.com/b/windowsserverexperts/archive/2010/02/08/windows- server-top-5-benefits-for-today-s-workforce.aspx. TechGrant. (2012). SWOT analysis on the viability of upgrading to Server 2008. Retrieved from http://www.justanswer.com/computer-networking/6dwps-swot-analysis- viability-upgrading-server-2008.html. TechNet. (2013). TechNet: Managing the Migration Process. Retrieved from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb742407.aspx Read More