New
#10
I've been in two different places that were "stuck" on 32-bit as their VPN systems didn't support a 64-bit client without making a significant investment in the infrastructure. Since the workstations didn't need more than 4GB of RAM, and none of the client side applications were true 64-bit native applications...there was very little incentive to moving to a 64-bit system. They couldn't justify the cost of the VPN upgrade since the move to 64-bit didn't really provide them with any return on investment.
Many businesses also didn't see the return on investment with Vista. At first it had poor driver support, and the Aero interface while "super neato", didn't really provide any pratical business advantage. So, rather than invest the time and effort to upgrade machines, they simply stayed put.
With Windows 7, they are at the end of their computer life on their old XP machines and back dating brand new machines to a 10+ year old OS seems rather silly, so adoption rates are higher. Coupled with the fact that 7 is streamlined, efficient and runs very well, makes this a very appealing OS. It took some time at first with Vista to get to where we are, but a lot was learned over time and we now have a very stable and solid OS at the desktop. We still have a ways to go on security and such...but MS is working at it.