A few months ago, we asked members of the community to participate in a survey to gather data about usage and satisfaction with Windows Home Server. We were blown away by the number of people who responded, as well as the level of detailed feedback that we received. Your suggestions are important to us because we use your ideas to help us shape future versions of the product, as well as our strategies around marketing and sales. So thank you to everyone who took the time to respond.

We thought you might be curious to know what the survey results were, so here’s a recap of the overall findings. We plan to do this survey every year, but don’t feel like you have to wait to give us your feedback. You can join our ongoing Windows Home Server beta programs at Microsoft Connect as a way of sharing feedback and best practices with other users.

Product satisfaction is very high

We were happy to hear that satisfaction with Windows Home Server, already high in 2008, continued to improve in 2009 with nine out of ten respondents telling us they are satisfied or very satisfied.

Used for work & play

Windows Home Server also seems to be generating a lot of interest with SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) customers. A growing number of home-based businesses are using Windows Home Server in 2009. This seems to indicate that HP was onto something with its recent Data Vault announcement – the first Windows Home Server to specifically target the SOHO space. Pete Cullen, who runs Cullen IT Consultancy in the UK, also recently wrote about the value he is seeing for Windows Home Server in small businesses.

Becoming the media hub

The survey indicates that motivations for buying Windows Home Server have been shifting since last year. In the 2008 study, back-up was the top reason respondents cited for purchasing the product. This year, most of you reported that consolidating and organizing shared media and files was the primary reason for purchase. Back-up is still a close second, though, and people really love the ability to easily expand storage capacity. According to survey responses, the remote access feature was more popular in Japan than in other parts of the world.

We’ve also seen a big increase in those who have devices other than computers connected to Windows Home Server. This year, about three quarters of respondents connect other devices, such as game consoles and media players, compared to only two thirds in 2008.

More than half of respondents reported four or more hard drives connected to their Windows Home Server. The most popular place that people are keeping their Windows Home Server is in a den or office.

So again, thank you to everyone who participated in the survey. We learned a lot about how you are using the product. We will use your feedback to continue to advance the product.

If you would like to share more with us about how you are using your Windows Home Server and are willing to talk publicly about this, we want to hear from you. We are looking to learn more about what people are doing at home or in their small business. Do you have a great success story about how Windows Home Server helped your family or your business? Check out some of the stories we are looking for. Do you fit the bill on any of these? Or do you know someone who does?

· I’m using Windows Home Server as part of a virtual business team

· I used Windows Home Server to start a new business within the last two years

· Windows Home Server helps me manage my home office/small business

· Windows Home Server saved my family or business from a potential data loss disaster that would have been devastating

· Windows Home Server helped me get my teen’s music/photos/video collection under control

· I didn’t have enough storage space for my music/photos/video before Windows Home Server

· I’m an artist/photographer and I use Windows Home Server in my business

· I’m running an automated home through Windows Home Server

- I am a small business using Windows Home Server for backup and recovery as part of my Windows Small Business Server (SBS) deployment

Please contact us with your story.



- Dave Berkowitz, Senior Product Manager, Core Infrastructure Marketing, Microsoft

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Posted By: z3r010
13 Nov 2009