I’m always surprised by the reaction we get when discussing the risks of broken links as part of planning for a Microsoft Office upgrade.  When we bring up the topic with a project team’s IT leaders as part of a prudent and methodical planning process, it’s usually met with blank stares, shoulder shrugs and general indifference.  I find this reaction surprising since broken links are often a widespread – and sometimes chronic – problem during and post migration, especially if the organization is upgrading from Office 2003 to Office 2010.

Contrast that with planning for a server migration or consolidation and everyone is very concerned about the impact of broken links in Office files, especially in Excel.  In that scenario, the broken links are very obvious, but in an Office upgrade, the broken links are usually not as apparent.  During an Office upgrade, companies aren’t typically moving file locations, drives or shares, which are the “usual suspects” in file linking problems.  This is why, without the proper planning and mitigation strategy, IT could be setting up end users for some big headaches – and putting their organization at business risk.

Most enterprises choose not to deploy with the “big bang” approach, upgrading the entire organization all at once, but rather upgrade in a phased rollout.  This is often done on a departmental – or even geographical – basis.  While a phased rollout makes sense, especially in large enterprises, it can also exacerbate the problem of broken links.  When an organization currently running Office 2003 upgrades to a newer version of Office – for example, Office 2010 –  they typically don’t upgrade all files to the new Office format due to project size, cost, and duration. Due to the individual enterprise project scope parameters, it’s likely that many – but not all – linked files are converted during the initial migration. Therefore, the end users need a way to easily fix links that break “over time,” as other users selectively convert files that were out of scope for the initial Office upgrade.

For example, let’s say there are 10 users in department A that utilize an Excel spreadsheet which is linked to a separate spreadsheet maintained by department B.  Department B rolls out Office 2010, but department A is not scheduled to be upgraded for 3 months.  The resource in department B opens their spreadsheet post-upgrade, promptly hits the “convert” option and a new spreadsheet is created with the .xlsx extension.   However, the original file (with the .xls extension) is still out on the company’s file share.  Now, the 10 users in department A are unaware that the file they are linked to has been replaced with a new file, so they keep using the original file, not realizing that this spreadsheet is no longer in use.  After all, the link is still valid, so Excel won’t notify them of a broken link, but the data in that file is no longer being updated.  It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to visualize the potential negative impact this may have.  And it could take days or weeks (or longer) before someone realizes that they’re pulling stale data from this old Excel worksheet.

The link problem associated with an Office upgrade can be difficult to handle on a bulk basis, but there are a number of tools in the market, including ConverterTechnology’s OfficeConverter, that can help with bulk link repair and replacement.  Be aware that linked files may not be permanently fixed – they can actually “break” multiple times, especially if they’re linked to multiple spreadsheets or sources.  After analyzing this issue extensively, we considered a solution that tackles the problem at its source – the desktop.  Accordingly, we developed our desktop link repair tool, LinkLab, to attack the issue from the end user’s point-of-view.

ConverterTechnology’s LinkLab is designed as a desktop solution and users will initially access the tool as an Add-in for Excel and Word.  This has a number of benefits for both IT and the end user.  First, it’s easily deployed to the desktop through a central service, such as SCCM.  By pushing out the tool to end users, and empowering them in the process, IT is taking a proactive approach to the problem, while not heavily encumbering IT resources.  In planning for an Office upgrade, one of the main challenges is the sheer magnitude of the potential link problem.  Assuming IT actually makes the effort to quantify the number of Office documents living in their enterprise, which can number in the millions, the notion of trying to fix even just the “business critical” files can be daunting.  After all, IT can’t readily and easily identify which files are important to individual business users on a daily, monthly, quarterly and yearly basis.  Therefore, they often take a laissez-faire approach, letting users fend for themselves.   Obviously, this approach is not in the best interest of the organization.  There could be significant negative financial impact, and it would also breach IT’s responsibility to ensure the business is reasonably protected from technological problems.  By utilizing the LinkLab tool, it puts the power to identify and automatically remediate links in the hands of the people responsible for creating and using these types of files.

With LinkLab, end users can quickly scan files on a case-by-case basis and fix the broken links. They also can view straightforward reporting that lets them see what was automatically fixed by LinkLab and which files need additional attention, including manual remediation.  The LinkLab Add-in snaps into the Office Ribbon and is very easy and intuitive to use.  It was designed for average Office users who may (or may not) be technically savvy.  Unlike the bulk approach, where companies only have one shot to tag and fix the files, LinkLab allows users to repeatedly test their critical files for link integrity long after the initial migration is over.  This removes much of the burden for IT post upgrade, since they won’t be fielding calls on broken links.

For the most part, the success of an Office upgrade (or any upgrade, for that matter) is determined by whether the project came in on time, on budget, and with minimal disruption to users and the business.  By providing this enterprise ready solution, IT can confidently push forward without fear, while providing a simple, yet effective, mitigation strategy to the people who are using these linked Office files on a regular basis.

ConverterTechnology is the only company to provide a comprehensive, automated Microsoft® Windows and Office migration solution that manages, tracks and reports on the entire process. The company’s innovative suite of tools, such as OfficeConverter, DiscoverIT, Click2Fix, LinkLab, and AOK, bring tremendous value to the entire upgrade process, including planning, workflow, discovering files, identifying compatibility issues and remediation.  ConverterTechnology has worked with industry leaders, including Fortune 500 companies, global financial and pharmaceutical corporations and the world’s most renowned theme park.  For more information, visit www.convertertechnology.com.