Centrix upgrades Workspace IQ tool for Window 7 migration management

Centrix has announced a series of updates to its Workspace IQ analytics management tool, including the ability for organisations to assess the readiness of their IT estate to upgrade to Windows 7.

The 5.2 update shows IT staff which desktop terminals on the system have the hardware capabilities to upgrade to Windows 7 on either 32-bit or 64-bit versions.

The firm's director of product marketing, Richard Pegden, explained to V3 that the update was timed to help meet the requirements of the growing number of firms preparing to migrate to the new OS.

"There's only two years left for many firms to migrate from Windows XP [before Microsoft ends support for the operating system] so we are seeing many firms now starting their preparations for migration," he said.

"The update gives firms a quick and simple insight into the state of their IT estate and which applications won't be able to update, as well as how often they are used by staff, so if they are rarely used they could be ignored during the update."

The firm has also added new management dashboards designed to provide a clear graphical overview on hardware and software metrics in order to give IT clear data on usage levels ahead of any decisions on rollouts or software updates.

Additionally, the firm has made the tool available to businesses via the cloud, which Pegden explained was due to the growing use of software-as-a-service among its customers.

"Many of our subscription customers are keen to start using cloud-hosted software so offering the 5.2 update allows us to meet this growing demand," he said.

The update will be available from 25 October, and will be a free upgrade for existing customers.