Windows 7 Upgrade. The updates will take place either during or outside of employee work hours.

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1 Windows 7 Upgrade What employees need to know: To bring employees desktops up-to-date and ensure that their machines are fully supported, the IT division of Central Services is rolling Windows 7 out to all desktops across government during the fiscal year. While bumps in the road can be expected for any major IT change in an organization of this size, the IT division has taken measures to prepare for the rollout. The division has begun testing government s applications for compatibility with Windows 7, and will continue this testing as the project moves forward. The division also completed a pilot phase of over 1,000 Windows 7 installations, to pave the way for the rollout of the new operating system. Each user s profile is unique and may contain custom applications, requiring the IT division to tailor each user upgrade to their individual circumstance. Users should be patient, expect delays and keep in mind that upgrades are necessary. Many of the features of Windows 7 are invisible, but will make employees computers run faster, with improved security and stability. The updates will take place either during or outside of employee work hours. Questions and answers: 1. Why is government upgrading desktops to Windows 7? Government is upgrading to Windows 7 to modernize government s IT infrastructure, and to ensure employees computers are fully supported. 2. What is an operating system? A computer s operating system is the interface we use to access programs and files, and conduct business. 3. What are the benefits of upgrading to Windows 7? Many of the features of Windows 7 are invisible, but will make your workstation run faster and better, with improved security and stability.

2 Some of Windows 7 s key features include: o Modern interface o Office 2010 o Internet Explorer 9 o Enhanced taskbar o Faster search capabilities o Improved capabilities for future upgrades o Faster start-up times 4. What actions do users need to take? The IT division is asking that users save any files on their desktop to the network drives before receiving their scheduled upgrade. All existing local administrator rights will be eliminated. New requests for local administrator rights will be evaluated case-by-case, and will only be granted in special circumstances. Users should report any issues with their systems as soon as possible by calling the IT service desk at If an upgrade is scheduled overnight or while an employee is out of the office, they must leave their computer powered on, but logged off, and connected to the network by a physical wire. Laptops must be plugged in and docked at employees workstations. If an upgrade is scheduled during work hours, staff are asked to work as usual until an IT member arrives at their workstation. Users without a physical desk will be given specific direction on what to do before their upgrades. Laptop users will need to reconnect to the government network wirelessly after upgrades by following the Remote Network Connection Guide. They will also need to enter their username and password twice on the first login once to log in to the government network and once to log in to McAfee Endpoint Encryption. After this initial login, employees will only need to enter their username and password once. The IT division recommends that laptop users read through the McAfee Endpoint Encryption user guide and FAQ for information including how to reset passwords.

3 5. When will Windows 7 be installed on my desktop, and how long will it take? The IT division will notify ministries and staff between one and four weeks before the upgrades take place. Most upgrades will take up to one hour to complete. If there are complications, upgrades could take up to four or six hours to complete. Like any major IT change, it may take a day or two to get accustomed to the new system. The IT division recommends that users plan for downtime during their scheduled upgrade time, and arrange for other tasks or use other government devices to complete their work. Upgrades will either occur during or outside of work hours. Each user s profile is unique and may contain custom applications, requiring the IT division to tailor each user upgrade to their individual circumstance. Users should be patient, expect delays and keep in mind that upgrades are necessary. 6. I don t want to upgrade. Can you skip me? All employee desktops must be upgraded because Microsoft XP has reached its end-of-life. The Windows 7 upgrade will ensure security of government s data. Delays to scheduled upgrades should not take place, as the IT division is communicating to users between one and four weeks in advance via their SLCs. Given the scope and nature of the rollout, it is necessary for the IT division to plan ahead, and delays to clients upgrades may be difficult to accommodate. If upgrades are declined when the technician arrives at users workstations, it could be some time before these users systems can be upgraded due to a busy rollout schedule. The final opportunity to reschedule at a more convenient time is two weeks in advance of the scheduled upgrade date. 7. What tutorials are available for learning the new Office 2010 software that will be installed during the upgrades? Office 2010 software is bundled with Windows 7. Online user guides and tutorials for Office 2010 products are available free of charge to Saskatchewan government employees. To find out how you can set up access to your Microsoft training programs, or if you have any questions, learn@gov.sk.ca. 8. I have special applications I use in my work. Will the upgrade to Windows 7 impact my ability to use special applications?

4 The IT division will meet with your ministry to mutually agree on the best course of action for any untested, special applications. By applications, we mean any software on your computer from programs like Outlook, Excel and Internet Explorer, to the custom-built applications like MIDAS. If applications are not compatible with Windows 7, the applications will either require modification, or they won t work and will require ministries to reach a business decision. 9. How much is this going to cost? Hardware, software and service from the IT division for the Windows 7 upgrade project will be covered by the IT division. This includes most application upgrades to the newest versions. The only costs that will be incurred include application recoding to make applications that normally wouldn t function in Windows 7 work properly in the operating system and these costs will be raised and agreed upon in discussions with the ministry. 10. I am using applications that are out of date. Will my division need to pay to upgrade this software? It is unlikely that your division will need to pay for software upgrades, unless the application requires extensive work to make it compatible. The IT division will discuss any major compatibility issues with ministries, and examine all options, before any charge is incurred. See question I am using programs that haven t been approved. Will they be reinstalled on my workstation? Unapproved software won t be reinstalled on your workstation. If you believe it is necessary to do your job, you can submit a service request to have the software evaluated for costs and approval if no existing approved standard software can satisfy your requirement. 12. What will happen with my hardware? In some cases users hardware will remain the same and Windows 7 will be installed remotely overnight, and in some cases the hardware will be replaced with a new

5 machine. This depends on whether their machine is outdated or cannot run Windows Will I need to reconnect my laptop to the government network after the Windows 7 upgrade? Yes. In order to access the government s network without a wired connection, after the Windows 7 upgrade, laptop users (and some desktop users who work through a SaskTel connection) must reconnect using the following online guide: What will happen with my local administrator rights? All local administrator rights will be eliminated. The IT division will assess requests for new local administrator rights on a case-by-case basis. Local administrator rights will only be granted in special circumstances. 15. Will there be customer support for the Windows 7 project? Yes. In addition to support staff arriving onsite following upgrades, customer support is available through the IT Service Desk at