CMB Tech Pulse: Windows 7 and Operating Systems in the Enterprise

During Q4 of 2009, CMB surveyed its IT Decision Maker Panel on planned deployment and requirements for PC operating systems and client applications. The results are based on the responses of roughly 200 IT decision makers. Over half the respondents are in companies with 1000+ employees.

Despite prior problems with Windows Vista, 51% of US enterprises are likely to standardize on Microsoft's new Windows 7 OS for their desktops and laptops within the next two years. Even in the enterprise Netbook market, 38% plan to standardize on Windows 7 as opposed to remaining with Windows XP or a Linux-based OS.

Although all IT Professionals consider OS reliability, stability and security essential when making a purchase decision, they generally see all the major OSs doing this sufficiently well (Windows 7 does not carry the same security perception concerns as previous versions of Windows). What differentiates OS brands from one another are attributes such as licensing costs and virtualization/cloud computing support. These latter items can often make the difference between which brands of Operating Systems IT Professionals choose. For both PCs and Netbooks, IT Professionals value the security, virtualization/cloud computing support and speed of Windows 7. Yet, there remain challenges for Microsoft's Windows 7 release.

Key Takeaways:

  • IT professionals have given Microsoft's Windows 7 their initial approval. The majority of organizations are interested in-and expect to deploy it across-desktops, laptops and Netbooks at their organization within the next two years.
  • Challenges exist for Microsoft, however: new players such as Google's Chrome may yet pose a major market threat. 

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