By Denise Dubie
pcworld.com
After Microsoft officially released Windows 7, interest in rapidly adopting the
operating system increased for one in five IT pros from small and
midsize companies, according to a survey by an IT management company.Essential guide to Windows 7 management
According to the Spiceworks' "Voice of
IT" survey, conducted before and after the software's official
launch, 20% of 1,530 IT professionals polled sped up their timetable for
upgrading to Windows 7. The survey was conducted
during the first two weeks of October, prior to the launch, and then again during the last two
weeks of November, after the software was made available. Plans to
upgrade immediately increased for more than 10% of respondents, and
about 40% of IT professionals at the smallest firms polled intended to
begin their upgrades within the first 90 days following the official
launch.
Following the launch, nearly three-fourths of IT professionals
cited speed as a reason for deploying the operating system, an 11%
increase over pre-launch drivers. Nearly 70% of IT professionals said the user interface
helped their decision to upgrade, while 57% planned to migrate to
"switch from their current operating system." About 55% intend to
upgrade using existing machines, while the remaining 45% will invest in
new hardware to support the operating system. Those plans align with
recent data from Robert Half Technology that shows 37% of 1,400 CIOs
surveyed intend to invest in software and hardware following an economic
recovery. (See "More IT projects green-lighted amid signs of recovery,
survey shows".)
"Smaller organizations around the world seem more confident about
upgrading to Windows 7 post-launch," said Jay Hallberg, co-founder and
vice president of marketing for Spiceworks, in a statement. "More SMBs
plan to upgrade, and a larger number of them are speeding their upgrade
plans. This could be a very positive sign for Windows 7 adoption within
the SMB market segment, which accounts for the majority of business
computers in the world." |
