Computer Network Help for Medium-size Companies

For most business IT systems, 64-bit processing is a giant untapped resource. Intel and AMD, the leading CPU chip manufacturers, have been delivering 64-bit ability in their commodity processors for years, with the result that all classes of business computing hardware including laptops, desktop computers, engineering workstations and back-office servers now possess the architecture to operate in 64-bit format. Yet most of these in-place computers continue to host 32-bit software platforms.

The primary cause for this widespread hesitation to participate in the 64-bit revolution is that the business advantage for updating existing computers has appeared to be small in comparison to the effort needed. There is no seamless process to upgrade from a 32 to a 64-bit OS. The enhancement demands a clean installation, which means reinstalling current programs, backing up and recovering data, and installing new 64-bit drivers. This requires thoughtful planning to do economically. Meanwhile, many popular office productivity software are currently offered only in 32-bit editions, so where's the advantage?

Benefits of Upgrading to 64-bit Processing
The benefits of 64-bit vs. 32-bit processing may appear to be subtle and difficult to define precisely, but they are significant. The RAM memory allocation schemes utilized by 32-bit OS platforms are essentially an engineering afterthought that undermines system stability. RAM-hungry programs are sometimes not able to access available RAM because the operating system cannot assign it effectively. This can be the cause of software freezing or executing erratically even though a computer seems to have ample available memory. In addition, 64-bit software platforms support far more addressable memory than 32-bit ones and process more information per clock cycle. You can also go from one memory-hungry application to another faster when using a 64-bit environment. Fundamentally, 64-bit computing makes environments more reliable, more scalable, and more efficient, which makes companies more productive.

Microsoft's 64-bit Processing Initiative
Microsoft's “x64” technology supports the 64-bit CPUs found in virtually all computers now deployed in business networks. (Microsoft's 64-bit "Itanium" initiative is restricted to special advanced Intel and AMD CPUs processors and is designed for environments that need large-scale multi-processing.) Prior to the availability of Office 2010, most Microsoft desktop programs including Microsoft Office 2007 and Visual Studio 2005 were available solely in 32-bit versions, which can nevertheless be run on x64 platforms. The latest generation of Office offers significant improvements. As an example, Excel 2010 is available in a 64-bit version that allows you to create spreadsheets with huge databases that are not restricted by the 2-Gbyte file size that hampers 32-bit editions of Office Excel.

Microsoft offers native x64 versions of many Microsoft Server System products, including Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 and 2007, Commerce Server 2007, BizTalk Server, as well as Operations Manager. Windows Server x64 versions are priced the same as 32-bit counterparts, so ordinarily it costs nothing extra for 64-bit server operating systems or machines.

For desktop PCs, Microsoft offers Windows 7 and Windows 8 in same-price x64 editions that provide advanced dependability, scalability, and performance. As with all migrations from 32- to 64-bit operating systems, the move up can't be carried out without effort. Every desktop PC and server needs a clean installation that involves reconfiguring applications, backing up and restoring data, and installing 64-bit device drivers. In fact, for typical current workstations, and for all PCs powered by XP, any edition of Microsoft Windows 7 or Windows 8 requires you to carry out a "from scratch" installation. Consequently, there will never be a better time to move to x64 processing on the desktop, since it will involve scarcely any additional effort.

How Progent Can Assist You to Upgrade to 64-bit Processing
Besides helping your organization to understand the practical advantages, expenses, and technical variables attached to upgrading to 64-bit computing, Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can help you design, document, implement, administer, and repair a system-wide move to 64-bit server and desktop OS software and business applications. Progent can help you test your 64-bit infrastructure to verify that it supports all of the key 32-bit applications which you intend to retain plus the new 64-bit editions of software you plan to install. If moving to Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 is included in your 64-bit migration strategy, Progent's certified Windows 7 engineers, Windows 8.1 consultants, and Windows 10 planning and migration consultants can assist your company to decide which workstation computers and programs can or ought to be retained, and plan a migration procedure that is minimally disturbing to your network operations.

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

• Progent's expertise providing remote computer consulting and support can save your business effort and money over the course of your 64-bit migration, and Progent's background working with in-house IT personnel and providing technical knowledge transfer to them can improve the efficiency 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 easy to track, manage, and troubleshoot, and that it provides a high degree of data protection and fault tolerance.

• Progent's business continuity consulting professionals can assist you in creating and validating a disaster recovery plan that includes your 64-bit servers. Progent's Microsoft certified System Center System Center Data Protection Manager support professionals can assist you to configure System Center SCDPM to provide near-continuous remote backup with the capability of fast data restoration.

• Progent's CISSP and GIAC network security engineers can assist you develop a comprehensive security strategy that implements some of the powerful protection mechanisms incorporated into x64 servers. Progent can also carry out network security vulnerability checking to assess or validate your network's adherence to mandated security standards.

• Progent's virtualization experts can show you how to use 64-bit virtual server technology to save money on hardware, streamline administration, enhance dependability, lower colocation expenses, and speed up restoration time in case of a disaster.

• Progent's online education can help bring both your network support team and your desktop employees up to date rapidly and cost-effectively by providing interactive online virtual training customized for your network environment and business processes.