Businesses tell Microsoft "We're done with XP"

[Night Hawk]

Businesses tell Microsoft "We're done with XP"

By Ed Bott
November 3, 2010, 6:00am PDT

Last month, when we passed the one-year anniversary of Windows 7, I noted that Microsoft executives seemed “relaxed and genuinely confident” about consumer adoption rates. Selling 240 million copies in a year will do that for you.

Yesterday, I checked in with a senior Microsoft executive whose job is to closely monitor corporate adoption rates of Windows 7. If I had to choose one word to describe the demeanor of Gavriella Schuster, general manager of Windows Product Management, it would be relieved.

Schuster’s counterparts on the consumer side of the Windows team get to watch upgrades play out in real time. Big business, on the other hand, moves far more slowly. As I noted back in April 2009, when Windows 7 was still in the beta phase: “Businesses need a year or so after a new Windows version is released to test their in-house software for compatibility and to plan a thoughtful migration strategy.” Now that we’re past the 12-month mark, those plans are crystallizing, and Microsoft’s execs can finally exhale.

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[Layback Bear]

I think this change from XP to Windows7 and server will happen sooner rather than later. To my thinking,(this is my opinion) corporations have been looking into the cost, compatibility with other programs and training cost for at least a year. They had to see the change to the newer system coming. Updating hardware, software, and training without a lot of down time is also a consideration. IMHO Microsoft will make the change in the phrase from you should upgrade to you will have to upgrade.

 

[Night Hawk]

One thing MS is focused on now with 7 and Server 2008 is Cloud networking which is of interest for businesses. The training and "retooling" as the phrase would go always takes time.

The one thing found with the 32bit 7 over it's predacessor Vista was the ability to run far more XP applications on the new Windows which is great incentive for businesses to consider as well as the periodic software upgrades they would eventually need to see anyways. The other costs a large company would consider would the lack of need to immediately replace existing hardwares since 7 was made to be lighter on resources as well as having new energy saving features which companies take notice of.

The bottom line is if the new Windows can cost on overall costs over a period of time most places will make the move. The first year a new version is out is the time it takes for them to make the cost assessments before the upgrade can take place.