Part 7 — Proof of Concept & Field Evaluation Guide

Evaluate one representative application against explicit compatibility, governance, performance and operational criteria.

Select the candidate

Choose an application that materially blocks migration, can be installed in an isolated evaluation environment and has a knowledgeable business owner. Avoid the easiest utility if it does not represent the target workflow.

Define success before deployment

Record the business transaction, users, dependencies, data classification, acceptance thresholds and disqualifiers. Include launch, sign-in, file transfer, printing, clipboard, isolation, audit evidence, latency and resource use where relevant.

Stage 1: deploy

Launch the current Core evaluation offer in a controlled AWS account, configure network access and establish administration. The source material estimates roughly 30 minutes after prerequisites are ready; account policies, subscriptions and networking can extend this.

Stage 2: install and configure

Install the executable and dependencies, connect only approved test services, register the application and establish an initial compatibility policy. The source estimate is about 60 minutes for a simple application; packaging and integrations often dominate.

Stage 3: validate workflows

  1. Sign in as permitted and denied users.
  2. Launch and close the application reliably.
  3. Complete the representative transaction.
  4. Test upload, open, save and download boundaries.
  5. Generate and retrieve print output.
  6. Test allowed and blocked clipboard directions.
  7. Verify user/session isolation and child processes.
  8. Collect logs and measured resource use.

Interpret timing correctly

“First access in under one hour” describes a favourable initial milestone. The playbook’s nominal 30 + 60 + 60 minute sequence describes broader validation. Neither is a delivery guarantee.

Close the PoC

Produce a pass/fail matrix, unresolved risks, measured sizing, target architecture, security actions, commercial assumptions and recommendation. Remove test data and resources when the evaluation ends.