As we approach the end of life for Office 2016 and Office 2019 next month, I'm interested to hear how everyone is managing their migrations to Office 2024 or Microsoft 365. We've been able to migrate quite a few systems out of our 20,000+, but we're starting to hit some challenges. I've been using PDQ packages mainly, but I'd love to know what strategies have worked for others. Also, I'm curious about how people are dealing with versions of Project. I'm particularly wondering if anyone has faced similar troubles, especially with the transition in older Windows environments, which often seem manufacturing-oriented.
5 Answers
I get what you're saying about the struggle of changing inboxes. It's definitely challenging to push users towards new software, especially when they’re comfortable with what they have. I think one key strategy is making sure the management is on board and can help communicate the changes. It might not be ideal, but having the executives on your side can really help ease the transition.
Right! It’s also important to give users some understanding of why the change is necessary; having that context might reduce some frustration.
Honestly, I’m curious to hear about the specific roadblocks you’re encountering. My last few companies migrated to M365, so I didn’t have much experience directly handling rollouts lately.
My issues mainly involve pushback from users who are just so used to their existing workflows. Change is always hard!
For sure! People can be pretty resistant to change, especially if they feel it disrupts their routine.
I've seen a lot of companies switching over to third-party clients. Personally, I’ve been using Thunderbird and liking it.
We managed our migration through SCCM, which worked well for us. We set it up as a mandatory installation with a 7-day grace period, targeting about 20% of systems each week. Slow and steady!
I'm so glad to hear others are finally wrapping it up! Windows 11 does add some annoying steps, but hey, as you said, better late than never!
Absolutely, having management support can make a huge difference. Users often feel like they can't complain to you if they know there's higher authority pushing for the change.