Global Professional & Financial Services Firm successfully completes a transfer of over 175,000 Windows® PCs – more efficient and cost effective than Microsoft’s User State Migration Tool (USMT).

A global professional and financial services firm with over 100-years of experience and 200,000+ employees approached Laplink for a solution to their complex PC deployment needs. With hundreds of locations, dozens of languages, and an absolute requirement for data security and integrity, they required a tool that could not only aid in their massive Windows upgrade project, but one that could also handle ongoing hardware replacements from lease rotations and break/fix scenarios. The majority of transfers were to be performed by the end user, so ease of use was paramount. PCmover Enterprise proved to be the perfect solution.


The firm realized that their previous transfer method was negatively impacting their skilled IT technicians' productivity because it required an unreasonable amount of staff support hours and resources. With lease rotations and break/fixes performed regularly, the firm needed a scalable solution that would grow along with them. The firm’s project manager and global team lead shares his experience with PCmover and the Laplink support team.


The prior transfer process involved using an internal tool that was customized to fit their processes, based on Microsoft’s User State Migration Tool (USMT). After hours of custom coding and testing, the client described the custom tool as, “...effective, but it was a very long process with multiple screens to click through and several ‘gotcha’ sections that a user could run into. To make matters worse, it took up to 20 minutes before the transfer process could even begin.”

While evaluating transfer tools, stability of the software and its provider were important considerations given the long-term needs of the firm. Laplink has been the pioneer and leader in Windows file transfer for over 35 years. “The key to PCmover is the ease of use. We worked with Laplink support to cut down the UI screens and options for a streamlined experience that has been overwhelmingly praised and applauded by our users.”

When asked what impact PCmover Enterprise has been on their processes, the client states, “There has been a dramatic shift in the way users look at data transfer. Before PCmover, users would put off picking up a new computer, usually an exciting prospect, because they knew the process to move their data was going to be a trial and take all day. Now, with PCmover that process is simple and fast, and users are once again excited to get their new machines.”

When asked if there was a feature of PCmover the stood out from the rest, the client replied, “One feature that we have used to great affect is the ability to have PCmover automatically run custom scripts before the UI starts, and after the data transfer completes.” PCmover’s powerful Policy Manager provides customization options that are easily configured through an intuitive GUI, without the need for advanced coding or expensive consultants. “Another important feature is how PCmover not only transfers data but also moves the user state information; the customizations that make a computer a personal space such as wallpapers, favorites, settings, and more. We also appreciated being able to brand the tool with our corporate imagery.”

How has this affected the company’s OPEX? The client replied, “It’s very hard to put a monetary value directly on the savings that PCmover has afforded us. However, we have seen a large savings in time spent by users (worker downtime during migrations) as well as a drop in helpdesk calls related to the transfer process, allowing for savings in staffing. The fact that this is a custom off-the-shelf product also saves us from needing to do in house programing changes and updates, again saving time and staffing.” Simply put, “PCmover = Data transfer made easy.”

To learn more about PCmover Enterprise, visit https://enterprise.laplink.com or contact corpsales@laplink.com