Defining Your Assessment Period: Setting the Right Data Collection Duration in the ChromeOS Readiness Tool
Organizations looking to transition to ChromeOS need a clear understanding of their current IT environment. The ChromeOS Readiness Tool provides a comprehensive assessment, and a crucial step in this process is defining the assessment period, the duration for which the tool collects data. This period directly impacts the depth and accuracy of the insights you receive, guiding a smoother migration.
What is the Assessment Period?
The assessment period, also known as the data collection duration, is a specified number of days during which the ChromeOS Readiness Tool actively monitors and gathers information about your organization's device application usage. This comprehensive data collection is essential for generating an accurate compatibility report for a successful ChromeOS transition.
How to Define Your Assessment Period
During the deployment configurations of the ChromeOS Readiness Tool, administrators will be prompted to select the number of days for the data collection period. This step is part of the initial setup, allowing you to tailor the assessment to your organization's specific needs and timeline.
What Happens During Data Collection?
Once the tool is deployed and the data collection period begins, the ChromeOS Readiness Tool operates efficiently in the background:
Active Monitoring: An administrator can access a report generator app on their desktop to view how much time remains for data collection. The tool also appears as a tray icon on employee devices, which can be hidden by the admin if necessary.
Continuous Operation: A built-in status monitor checks if the data collector and data service components are running, and automatically restarts them if they stop.
Selective Data Logging: The data collector tracks all processes, monitoring their start and stop times. It specifically logs open window applications and predefined background applications, ensuring relevant usage data is captured.
Secure Data Handling: The data service reads these logs, encrypts the collected information, and uploads it to either network storage or cloud storage based on the chosen storage location. Data is temporarily stored on employee devices and then pushed to the designated network storage location. If a PC is powered off, data will not upload until the device is turned back on.
This continuous process ensures that comprehensive and accurate data is gathered throughout the chosen assessment duration.
What Happens After the Assessment Period?
Upon the completion of the selected data collection period, the ChromeOS Readiness Tool compiles all the gathered information to generate a final, comprehensive report.
Administrators can then access an organizational readiness report and a summary of device readiness on the intuitive web-based dashboard. This dashboard displays key information such as the total application count for each readiness status, a pie chart showing the percentage of devices in each readiness category, and a table listing all devices with their readiness status. You can also view an application summary for each device, categorized into Ready, Possibly Ready, Blocker, or Unknown. Additional reports, like a summary of devices in each readiness category and a list of most used applications, are available in the data insight section. Previous reports can be found in the history reports section.Raw data and executive summary report can be downloaded in Excel format or Pdf.
For partners, the dashboard allows viewing the progress of data collection for their customer companies, including the selected assessment duration, time to completion, and the completed percentage. Once data collection is finished, partners can enter their customers' encryption files to unlock and view detailed readiness data.
Hence, setting the data collection duration is a foundational step in utilizing the ChromeOS Readiness Tool effectively. By carefully defining this assessment period, organizations ensure that the tool gathers all necessary data, enabling the generation of precise reports and actionable recommendations. This clarity is invaluable for strategic planning and achieving a seamless, efficient transition to ChromeOS.
