SMBs want Windows 7 now

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.  

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."

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