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Value of Experience
PWMA benefited from SAGE’s experience in desktop upgrades in general, and with our knowledge of PWMA’s IT needs in particular. After 12 years of performing upgrades, we know the time-savers, the “gotchas,” and how to anticipate the “oh, by-the-ways.” Although each upgrade is unique, having experience saves a lot of missteps. Our work on PWMA’s last desktop upgrade meant we came to this upgrade with prior knowledge of their requirements, processes, and business objectives. We also had intimate knowledge of their systems that saved time in cataloging and inventorying. Our years of performing upgrades was particularly instructive in the determining the best ways to streamline the upgrade process and how best to break it down into prepackaged components.
Each project reinforces the value of testing the desktop upgrade with pilot groups to ensure functionality and stability. Feedback from the user groups was crucial to creating a desktop image that worked for them. Once the users were satisfied, we could then focus on the best method to test the image for stability and deploy the new desktop.
The Most Important Measure of Success
Despite being on time and under-budget, the most important measure of success is user satisfaction. In this regard, our team of SAGE and PWMA exceeded all expectations. Marijo Mass, PWMA’s Manager for Special Applications said: “[SAGE] created a desktop that's solid and that we're proud of. Users are loving it!”
Well, maybe not all: increased efficiency does come at a price. Says Information System Director David Regali, “[the] b iggest complaint … has been that we've completely changed [the] morning routine. Some … login times [were] particularly painful, and now they're about 30 seconds. No time for coffee and chit chat! ” Just like any successful makeover, when the person loves their new image, the satisfaction comes not just the first time you see your new image, but continues day after day.Lisa Johnson is the Manager for Network Engineering and manages most upgrades, implementations and engineering projects for SAGE. Doug Daniel is SAGE's lead engineer. Adam Lowe is a Sr. Engineer. To learn more about SAGE’s desktop management and engineering solutions, please contact Karin Magness at kmagness@sagesol.com or call 202.659.9390.
