Figure 3 1   Impact of changes

The effect of a good communications plan will be to flatten out the negative 

aspects of the acceptance curve in Figure 3 1. A communications plan coupled 

with proper training on the new desktop applications should minimize the number 

of users that fall into the rejection/opposition mode, cause users to start out with 

acceptance instead of dissatisfaction as the initial response, and lead to a quick 

transition into exploration and productive use.

Regarding the IT support staff, these same issues have even more importance. 

A strategic decision to switch the OS and the way the clients are managed can 

cause the impression of disapproval of the work they have done so far. It could 

give staff the impression that their current skills are being devalued. It probably 

will not be easy to convince an administrator of Windows systems that migrating 

to Linux clients is a good strategy unless you can also convince them that the 

organization is prepared to make a significant investment in upgrading their skills 

as well.

Thus, two very important areas to focus on prior to starting a pilot migration are:

Develop a communications plan.

Select a pilot group that is best suited for the task.

3.4  Retraining considerations

In the course of the migration, retraining for users will be necessary in many 

cases. As classes are always cost intensive due to the payment for a trainer and 

the non productive time of the employees, one has to figure out ways that can 

reduce this amount.

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Linux Client Migration Cookbook   A Practical Planning and Implementation Guide for Migrating to Desktop Linux