Getting from a pile of exports to a plan starts with visibility you can trust. In week 1, your goal is to install the ReadyWorks VM Accelerator, ingest inventory, validate coverage, and turn the first set of signals into two deliverables: a clean estate overview and a short remediation list. The Accelerator gives you a single place to see multivCenter inventory, VM classifications, detailed VM attributes for grouping, and guest OS endoflife and compatibility insights. You can ingest by connecting to one or many vCenters or by uploading RVTools or Nutanix Collector files. Access lasts 45 days, which is perfect for a focused discovery sprint.
Step 1. Install and ingest
Install the Accelerator and choose an ingest path. If you have credentials and changemanaged access to vCenter, connect directly so you can see updates as they occur. If you already have RVTools exports or Nutanix Collector output, upload those to get started fast and normalize data into a single view. The “how it works” guidance is straightforward: download, ingest, turn raw inventory into insights, and operate within a 45day access window.
If your policy prefers an onprem footprint, you can run the analyzer on a VM or a secured laptop and still deliver the same centralized visibility and planning signals. The PreSales Guide also calls out that within this window you should expect a consolidated dashboard across vCenters, performance baselines, and readiness indicators.
Step 2. Validate coverage with Virtual Estate Overview
Open the Virtual Estate Overview to confirm that the rollup matches your mental model of the estate. This view summarizes from data centers to ESXi hosts and down to individual VMs, which makes gaps and anomalies obvious. Do counts by site, host, and VM. Compare those counts to what operations believes is in scope. Capture a baseline screenshot now so that any deltas caused by subsequent ingest or cleanup are clear later.
Step 3. Use VM classifications to find early candidates
The Accelerator automatically splits workloads into buckets like VDI and Corporate. These buckets are usually subject to different sequencing and risk, so start by scanning each for lowrisk groups. Look for applications with standard images, clear support posture, and few external dependencies. Create two shortlists of quickwin bundles that could move early or be used for pilots.
Step 4. Pull the OS EOL and compatibility list
Export the guest OS view. The Accelerator exposes endoflife and compatibility information, which are the most common reasons pilots stall. Sort by severity and create three tags: remediate now, move with guardrails, and defer. Keep the list small at first so you can show progress by the end of week 1.
Step 5. Produce week-one deliverables
- A one-page estate summary: counts by site and host, notable hotspots, and two candidate bundles sourced from classifications.
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A remediation list that captures OS EOL and compatibility blockers with named owners. These two artifacts form the foundation for the planning decisions you will make in week 2.
Pro tips for week 1
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Treat RVTools and Nutanix Collector as accelerants, not destinations. Upload them to get moving, then add direct vCenter ingest for completeness.
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If the dashboard shows gaps, you likely missed a vCenter or an export set. It is better to call out missing coverage than to guess.
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Keep the scope tight. The goal of week 1 is trust in the rollup and a shortlist of actions, not a perfect model of the universe.
By the end of week 1 you should have a reliable estate picture across vCenters, two early candidate bundles, and a small backlog of OS remediation work. That is enough to support the deeper planning moves in week 2.
To put week one into action in your own estate, click here to learn more about starting a free 45-day trial of the ReadyWorks VM Accelerator.
