We reported yesterday that Microsoft had extended downgrade rights for Windows XP from Windows 7, but the reason seems to stem from the fact that a reported 74% of work PCs are still running Windows XP.
This seems odd given that it was also recently reported that 50% of business either have or are ready to upgrade to Windows 7. So what’s the anomaly and what’s causing the problem?
The problem is three-fold in the business space. The first hurdle is that installations of Windows 7 will normally come with new PCs and far too many businesses are still tightening their belts and waiting for the ‘green shoots’ of worldwide economic recovery. While PC sales generally are healthy, they are much lower than they would be if the downturn hadn’t happened.
The second reason is the learning curve. While people may be far happier moving to Windows 7 than they were moving to Vista, there is still the cost and time of training staff with the new operating system. One good way around this is to put it off until lots of staff have new PCs at home, so they are either au-fait with it already or can train each other. I know this is a cynical view but it’s quite common.
Finally there’s the ‘major’ stumbling block and this is Windows Server. Ever since Windows Server got a complete overhaul in 2003 it’s been a fantastic server product, Windows Server 2008 makes it even better.
These server products can help mitigate a great many of the shortfalls of Windows XP, certainly where security is concerned, as the group policy, security policy, patch rollout and monitoring tools are excellent.
It still remains to be seen where the anomaly between the two figures we’ve seen now fits. Will this 74% figure change soon, especially when Service Pack 1 is released later in the year, or will businesses doggedly stick with Windows XP and the secure Windows Server combination? It’s an interesting year coming for WIndows 7
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