Microsoft Windows 7 May Not be Met with Anticipation

No matter what the economy is doing, Microsoft (News - Alert) can always be counted on for the latest update or software advancement to keep things moving along. A majority of companies however, seem to be fine to move forward with what they have, eliminating the cost of an operating system update – for now.

Reuters (News - Alert) recently reported survey results that indicate six in 10 companies have plans to skip the purchase of Microsoft’s Windows 7 computer operating system. Many of these companies are electing to instead cut costs or are simply concerned about the compatibility with their existing applications.

While it is not expected to be released until October 22, Windows 7 has already earned positive reviews. This provides a boost to the software giant, which received much pressure for its overhyped and underperforming Windows Vista.

ScriptLogic (News - Alert) Corp surveyed more than 1,000 companies to evaluate the current market opportunity for the Windows 7 update. Many of these companies reported that they have economized by cutting back on software updates and therefore do not have the resources necessary to deploy Microsoft’s latest offering.

The Windows Vista operating system has been rejected by a number of companies as being unstable. Even Intel (News - Alert), which has partnered with Microsoft for years, has stayed with the older XP system.

The survey found that roughly 60 percent of participants do not have plans to deploy Windows 7, while 34 percent will have it in place by the end of 2010. Only 5.4 percent of companies will deploy by the year’s end.

Aside from spending slashes, a number of companies are also working with smaller workforces, putting increased pressure on those in the IT department. As a result, these companies lack the time and resources to take on a new operating system integration, especially if it proves to be as challenging as Vista.

As 39 percent of companies are concerned about compatibility, some may be waiting for the release of the service pack before moving forward. Sean Angus, a senior personal computer technician at Middlesex Hospital, told ScriptLogic as much.

"The IT department must complete thorough testing to ensure that the applications we rely on each day, specifically radiology information systems and financial applications, will be compatible, before deploying any new platforms or software to our 1,500 desktops,” Angus said.

Microsoft is not just attempting to make changes in the proprietary driven side of the market. The giant is also challenging Google (News - Alert) in the cloud computing space. Microsoft announced plans to extend Windows to the Internet with cloud computing applications. Microsoft plans to compete against Google’s Chrome Operating System and with Google’s dominance in the online market, it could be a bloody battle.