Lesson 4: Personnel Assessment | MCSE Training Kit (Exam 70-222): Migrating from Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 to Microsoft Windows 2000 (MCSE Training Kits)

In Lesson 5 of Chapter 2, "Building a Support and MaintenanceTeam," you looked at the requirement for certain roles to be fulfilled. In this lesson, you'll focus on the skill sets required for people to support the pre-migration and post-migration activities.

After this lesson, you will be able to

Outline a plan to assess for qualified analysis.

Estimated lesson time: 10 minutes

The people you're considering will be intimately involved in implementing the migration goals. In addition to the broad roles identified in Chapter 2, you'll need staff with these specific skills:

Active Directory architects. These people should be able to design and implement business structures into Active Directory. They'll need to know when to use domains and when to use OUs, how to plan group policies, and how to plan where special servers such as the global catalog server or the PDC emulator should be placed.
Application advisors. These people will have worked with the majority of applications within your corporation. They'll either come from your support or help desk teams.
Deployment specialists. These people should be able to produce automated logon scripts, batch files, and other utilities for automating the installation process. They must also understand Windows 2000 components such as Remote Installation Services (RIS) and other Intellimirror technologies, and they must know how to use migration tools such as the Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) and ClonePrincipal (from the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit).
Infrastructure specialists. These people are useful when it comes to designing the overall WAN for the enterprise. They'll have knowledge of hubs, routers, and network traffic issues as well as traffic caused by Windows 2000 systems.
Security specialists. Security people tend to be a bit suspicious and are good at assessing potential security breaches. They'll have knowledge of all the components listed in Lesson 3 of this chapter together with a working knowledge of the different security classes, for example, the practical implementation of C2 security and how it differs from B-level security. They'll also be helpful in designing audit solutions.
Trainers. Good trainers have a passion for communicating, patience with people, and an understanding of the learning process.

The Right Personnel

Of all the components involved in a migration from Windows NT to Windows 2000, the most important is having the right people. A highly qualified Windows 2000 professional in the wrong role can ruin a project if he or she doesn't have the necessary diplomatic skills.

Your team will need to be able to combine good Windows 2000 skill sets with good communication and team-playing skills. You might find that your human resources department has a program in place that can test for the right mix of communication and team skills. You can then adapt this program to include testing for the technical skill sets and experience required. As an alternative, many training companies can help by reengineering their training needs analysis programs to your situation.

The Need for Qualified Staff

When using previous operating systems, many corporations took on unqualified people to aid with their setup and establishment. Many of these consultants had PC experience and knew about systems. They were also able to learn on the job, while deploying and working with Windows NT. Unfortunately, this also means that many environments were poorly designed.

Although the networks initially worked, such systems tended to show their inadequacies six to twelve months later. By that time, there was no budget left to employ properly qualified consultants. Corporations were then left to cope as best they could and make adjustments as time went on. Windows 2000 can't be deployed and managed in this way.

An incorrect deployment of Windows 2000 can have an impact ranging from a slight effect on the efficiency and running of the business to total disaster. A full and complete description of all the aspects of Windows 2000 and Active Directory design and deployment is beyond the scope of this book. For a better understanding of the issues involved, consult the relevant training materials and the Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit.

Many corporations have undergone several iterations of their Active Directory design even using qualified personnel—just think of the chaos that could have ensued with unqualified staff!

When setting out to staff the project, you will need to convince the management not to take the shortcut of employing cheap, unqualified consultants. Everyone involved with the Windows 2000 migration project will need to have some training, proper induction, and in-house testing. Seeking people with professional qualifications, such as Microsoft Certified Professional status in the appropriate areas, can also serve as a means of identifying suitable personnel.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, you learned about the need to assess the skill sets available for the deployment in addition to all aspects of the Windows NT environment and how missing some of these skill sets could adversely affect your migration plan.