CIO

healthAlliance retires Windows XP and moves to Windows 7

Around 26,000 users to be impacted in the largest desktop upgrade of its kind in New Zealand over the next three months

healthAlliance, New Zealand’s largest ICT using organisation with 26,000 users, is starting its phased upgrade to Windows 7 this week.

The move is the “single largest and most challenging desktop upgrade of its kind” in the country, says healthAlliance,the shared services organisation owned by four northern region district health boards: Northland, Waitemata, Auckland, Counties Manukau, and national shared services agency Health Benefits Ltd.

The shift involves more than 18,500 PCs and laptops across 400 sites. “Once upgraded, the region’s public health sector will have a more secure network and staff will benefit from newer versions of Word, Access, PowerPoint and Visio,” says healthAlliance.

Claire Govier, healthAlliance CIO, says the rollout will be scheduled over the next three months. Northland DHB, will start the migration this week, two weeks ahead of the rest, as it has been the pilot for the upgrade.

Microsoft will end support for the XP operating system on 8 April 2014. “There are some risks if you don’t do it,” says Govier of the migration. “Altogether, that is 26,000 people that we will be impacting and working with, and every desktop is unique by the time we get down to the user."

The phased rollout will ensure there will be support and training for staff, says Govier.

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healthAlliance is number one in CIO100. It is the third time healthAlliance topped the list, which ranks organisations by screen numbers (50 percent) and staff numbers and turnover (25 percent each).

healthAlliance provides IT and non-clinical services to the four Northern Region District Health Boards. This year, it will expand its finance, supply chain and procurement services to district health boards across the country.

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Support for XP ends in less than a year – and upgrades to Windows 7 or 8 will take time, says Microsoft.

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