Microsoft Addresses App Migration Issues with FastTrack Tool
A new Microsoft service aims to fix the compatibility issues that tend to come up for organizations when they migrate applications to Office 365 and Windows 10.
Dubbed Desktop App Assure, the tool will be delivered as a component of FastTrack, Microsoft's internal migration desk for moving customers to its cloud platforms.
Microsoft announced Desktop App Assure on Wednesday in a blog post, with more details to come at the Microsoft Ignite show later this month. A North American preview of Desktop App Assure will start on Oct. 1, and worldwide availability is set for Feb. 1, 2019.
"Desktop App Assure operationalizes our Windows 10 and Office 365 ProPlus compatibility promise: We've got your back on app compatibility and are committed to removing it entirely as a blocker," wrote Jared Spataro, corporate vice president for Office and Windows Marketing, in the post.
The service is designed to overcome concerns about app compatibility, which Spataro characterizes as disproportionate to the statistics Microsoft sees in customer diagnostic data. His post contends that 99 percent of apps are compatible with new Windows updates, and that apps that work on Windows 7 will generally continue to work on Windows 10 and subsequent feature updates.
"But if you find any app compatibility issues after a Windows 10 or Office 365 ProPlus update, Desktop App Assure is designed to help you get a fix," he said.
The program works on a service desk model. Customers who experience a problem file a ticket through FastTrack and receive follow-up from a Microsoft engineer.
Desktop App Assure will be included for customers of Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education.
Posted by Scott Bekker on 09/06/2018 at 3:07 PM