Completing an Archer upgrade can be a daunting task.  With the relatively recent release of Archer version 6.5, as Holly Giammanco mentioned in her post “Archer 6.5 is Here!”, there are multiple good reasons to get your Archer platform on the latest and greatest now.  There are a few keys to making your upgrade a success. 

Plan Plan Plan

Did you realize that Archer 6.5 requires a new version of SQL database?  For most enterprises, planning an Archer 6.5 upgrade also will require planning a database upgrade.  Don’t let these sorts of surprises derail your upgrade though.  One of the keys to a smooth upgrade is to spend the time upfront to plan out the deployment including pre-requisite validations, aligning databases, servers, networks and other support teams, shoring up test and validation plans, as well as reviewing your strategy for back-out, in the event issues do surface during the upgrade. 

Get your back office in order

There are many instances where we’ve come across installation of Archer platforms where legacy configurations had never been cleaned up.  Those old bits and pieces may seem like a trivial thing, but may cause havoc during upgrades.  As part of your upgrade planning, there should be a component of reviewing the state of affairs with the SQL databases, application servers, SSL certificates and IIS website configurations.  Cleaning up previous messes and resolving outstanding bugs prior to diving into an upgrade will save you a headache down the road. 

Have the right resources

While executing the actual steps of the Archer platform installer is fairly straight forward, knowing what those configuration setting screens mean is a bit more complex.  Having an expert level Archer systems administrator that has experience in platform upgrades will ensure that if any issues do crop up along the way, they don’t become deployment derailers. 

RSA Archer brings many new opportunities, don’t get sidelined with a failed platform upgrade.  We at Cential have the expertise to assist with your deployments. Contact us today!