Web statistics have shown that in the first quarter of 2012, a third of all Microsoft Windows users still had the XP version installed, by now already ten years old. That said, more than fifteen percent of all Windows PCs are running on Vista, which was already released in 2007. As a result, nearly half of all Windows users still have to face upgrading to the current standard, Windows 7. The picture for Microsoft Office solutions is similar: many companies have yet to upgrade to the current 2010 version.

In order to make the decision to upgrade easier for businesses and to offer practical support to staff in their subsequent work with these systems, IMC AG has now broken down the entire learning process into bite-sized pieces. Using tried-and-tested learning content as provided by their partners KnowHow! AG and video2brain GmbH, the LIVECONTEXT Performance Support System brings knowledge straight to the user's screen.

LIVECONTEXT automatically detects whether the user is working, for example, in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, or Outlook and in which field the mouse is moving. On this basis, the exact learning sequences are provided to suit the current environment. Ad hoc cross-application processes such as the automatic dispatch of a Word document via Outlook can also be supported as a complete process for staff to learn. Various types of help are available, from interactive exercises to text information and videos.

In order to respond to individual learning requirements and knowledge levels, two versions of LIVECONTEXT are available for Microsoft Office 2010 and Windows 7: the upgrade user package is for companies and organisations that are upgrading from old Windows systems or Office applications to the latest versions; the new user package is for complete newcomers to Microsoft. An enhanced version of LIVECONTEXT also provides the option to add individual learning content.

"We are bringing knowledge straight to the screen. Staff do not need to have their work interrupted; they simply access the learning sequences when they actually need them. We call it learning by doing. Upgrading to Windows 7 or Office 2010 could not be any more efficient", says Frank Milius, Executive Board Member at IMC AG.