Open University urges users to be prepared for Windows 2000

Companies should beware of underestimating the training needs of their staff as they attempt Windows 2000 rollouts, according to IT experts in the Open University.

Marilyn Moffat, team leader of messaging and server support at the Open University (OU), warned that Microsoft's latest operating system was radically different to NT4 and companies should train staff thoroughly before attempting the upgrade.

She said OU is planning a migration later this year, but has already started a large Windows 2000 training programme for its staff.

"We hope to complete our training programme by July in time for a migration that will start in August. Our main concern has been to achieve an effective integration with our existing Unix DNS infrastructure and design the directory services to manage the system effectively," Moffat said.

"Since both are a major departure from previous systems, key personnel are undertaking Microsoft training courses over the next few months," she added.

Mark Cribben, principal technologist at course provider QA Training, warned that the technology shift between Windows NT to 2000 is as large as the shift from Windows 3.1 to Windows NT.

He said that companies planning Windows 2000 rollouts cannot afford to assume that they can get by using staff who were trained on NT4. "Companies should be planning to train their staff now or they are going to struggle to get to grips with the new technology later," he said.