Gartner Highlights Five Issues Enterprises Should Examine With Upcoming Launch of Windows 7

Analysts Discuss Migration Options During Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, October 18-22, in Orlando

STAMFORD, Conn., The move to Microsoft’s latest operating system (OS), Windows 7, is all but inevitable for most organizations, and Gartner, Inc. has highlighted five key issues enterprises should examine as this new OS hits the market.

On October 22, Microsoft will officially launch Windows 7. While Windows 7 is a significant improvement from Vista, analysts point out that Windows 7 is not a major architectural release; it builds on the plumbing changes Microsoft made in Windows Vista, but it has important features that Vista did not have, which will help improve organizations’ abilities to deploy it.

“Windows 7 has improvements in memory management to allow users to have a better experience than with Vista on PCs with similar or even slightly lower specifications,” said Michael Silver, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “It adds other features of interest to organizations, as well as to consumers. It is important for Microsoft to get off to a good start with Windows 7 to build momentum and put the problems of Vista behind it.”

Gartner analysts said that while it’s nearly inevitable for enterprises to move to Windows 7, this does not mean that the PC industry will see a significant boost in PC sales immediately.

“The Windows 7 release will generate renewed interest in hardware upgrades in consumers and small businesses following its release, but corporate demand is not expected to gain momentum until the end of 2010,” said Charles Smulders, managing vice president at Gartner. “An overdue PC hardware upgrade cycle, and the economic environment, will be as equally important as Windows 7 in determining final demand in 2010.”

Five issues that enterprises should examine before they move to Windows 7 include:

Plan to be Off Windows XP by Year-End 2012 — Microsoft will support Windows XP with security fixes into April of 2014, but past experience has shown that independent software vendors (ISVs) will stop testing much earlier. “New releases of critical business software will require Windows 7 long before Microsoft support for Windows XP ends,” said Steve Kleynhans, research vice president at Gartner. “Organizations that get all of their users off Windows XP by the end of 2012 will avoid significant potential problems.”

Start Working on Migration Projects Now — The typical organization requires 12 to 18 months waiting, testing, and planning before it can start deploying a new client OS. There is a lot of work to be done in preparation, and delays in getting started will only result in added costs later.

Don’t Wait for Windows 7 SP1 to Begin Testing and Deployment — Many organizations say they plan to wait until SP1 ships to begin testing and deploying a new client OS. Gartner analysts suggest starting work now (especially if companies have skipped Windows Vista), but are planning to switch to SP1 before their actual rollout.

Don’t Skip Windows 7 — Gartner categorizes Windows 7 as a “polishing” release on top of the architectural change that the Windows Vista “plumbing” release delivered. Gartner analysts said polishing releases should never be skipped. “While organizations that skipped Windows 2000 and waited for XP had some problems spanning the gap, organizations that adopted Windows 2000 and tried to skip Windows XP, waiting for Vista, had a much harder time,” Mr. Silver said.

Budget Carefully — Migration Costs to Vary Significantly Gartner’s model shows that migration costs could be $1,035 to $1,930 per user to move from Windows XP to Windows 7, and $339 to $510 per user to move from Windows Vista to Windows 7 depending on an organization’s approach.

Gartner’s Windows 7 Special Report includes Gartner’s latest research around Windows 7, examining such issues as when to move to Windows 7 and how much it will cost. The section also includes a link to the Gartner Webinar focused on Windows 7, as well as a video with additional Gartner commentary. This site is on Gartner’s Website at www.gartner.com/windows7.

Mr. Silver provides more analysis regarding Windows 7 on the Gartner YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We1bQm_Vy5M. Additional Gartner videos are available at http://www.youtube.com/user/Gartnervideo.

More detailed analysis on Windows 7 and other client computing issues will be discussed at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, October 18-22, in Orlando, Florida. Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the industry’s largest and most important annual gathering of CIOs and senior IT executives. This event delivers independent and objective content with the authority and weight of the world’s leading IT research and advisory organization, and provides access to the latest solutions from key technology providers. Gartner’s annual Symposium/ITxpo events are key components of attendees’ annual planning efforts. They rely on Gartner Symposium/ITxpo to gain insight into how their organizations can use IT to address business challenges and improve operational efficiency.

Members of the media can register for the event by contacting Christy Pettey at christy.pettey@gartner.com.

Upcoming dates and locations for Gartner Symposium/ITxpo include:

October 18-22, Orlando, Florida: www.gartner.com/us/symposium

November 2-5, Cannes, France: www.gartner.com/eu/symposium

November 11-13, Tokyo, Japan: www.gartner.com/jp/symposium

November 17-19, Sydney Australia: www.gartner.com/au/symposium

About Gartner:
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the indispensable partner to 60,000 clients in 10,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,000 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants in 80 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.