Point to Point Launches New Excel Conversion Tool

Desktop, application and virtualisation specialists, Point to Point, have announced the launch of ExcelConvert 2010 - a new spreadsheet migration tool that provides low cost automated conversion of Microsoft Excel 2003 worksheets to Microsoft Excel 2010. With ExcelConvert, a migration can be completed in days instead of months, with pricing starting from just £1 per sheet.

The recent retirement of support for Office 2003 has meant that many organisations without extended support have been finding it difficult to migrate large and complex spreadsheets to Excel 2010. Up until now, organisations have had to upgrade spreadsheets manually, which can involve expensive long-term developer and consultancy contracts and the risk of human error. Now, with the introduction of ExcelConvert, this process can be fully automated, significantly speeding time to conversion. ExcelConvert can be delivered through ExcelConvert’s secure private cloud or onsite, and will be available to purchase through Point to Point as a standalone product or as part of a larger desktop transformation project.

“While the need to test applications when migrating systems is pretty well understood, the file conversion largely gets forgotten about,” explains Steve McGovern, Technical Director for Point to Point. “Traditionally Microsoft has always used the same file formats in creating upgrades which has meant the upgrading of spreadsheets has never really been an issue. Microsoft has changed the file formats, which is creating problems.

"This is particularly true of complicated spreadsheets with embedded macros and links. If you have recorded code or links into a 2003 worksheet and then transfer it across to Office 2010, the system will instead go off looking for the old 2003 worksheet. We have spoken to a number of finance directors, accounts professionals, IT Directors and CIOs, and it is clear that people are crying out for a tool like ExcelConvert. There isn’t anything else in the market that does what we can do so we see great potential in the product.”

Users simply select the worksheets that they want to migrate and ExcelConvert sorts through the data, converts the files and updates any embedded links and macros. It then creates a report to inform the user of the changes that have been made and any issues relating to passwords that might have prevented the completion of the migration. As the tool creates a copy of the spreadsheet, the original remains intact ensuring the integrity of custom macros.

Point to Point provides consultancy around desktop transformation programmes and is currently the sole reseller for ExcelConvert 2010. The technology sits within Point to Point’s Strategic Formation Services (SFS), which is a consultative service developed to provide bespoke assessments of customer environments to help identify and deliver the best desktop and application strategy for their business. SFS engagements typically cover the following five key areas: Technical infrastructure, application discovery, automated compatibility testing, user profiling and reporting. Now, with the introduction of ExcelConvert 2010, Point to Point will be able to extend its service offering to include data migration for Excel. Pat McSwiggan, Founder of ExcelConvert, comments:

“Our message is simple - when you are migrating to Windows 7, don’t forget the data, and we feel that Point to Point is the perfect strategic partner to take this message to market. They are already leaders in the space of desktop transformation and are working with companies to help solve the desktop migration challenge, and ExcelConvert is ideally placed to fit into this service. They provide us with an established userbase and route to market, we provide them with competitive edge through the ability to offer data migration as well as application and infrastructure support, it’s a win:win!”

To learn more about ExcelConvert 2010 please visit the Point to Point website at: http://ptop.co.uk/solutions-and-technology/excelconvert/