Windows Vista Rollout Likely One to Two Years After Release

IT Business Edge Survey indicates small businesses will be more aggressive than larger companies in adopting Microsoft's new operating system.

Louisville, KY (PRWEB) January 24, 2005 -- Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) may be more aggressive than larger firms in their plans to rollout the forthcoming Microsoft Windows Vista release, but few shops are in any hurry to make the transition, according to a recent survey of IT Business Edge (http://www.itbusinessedge.com) subscribers.

Thirty-five percent of survey respondents who identified themselves as being from companies with fewer than 1,000 employees said that, based on current information, they'll probably roll out Microsoft's next operating system sometime within the first year of release. In comparison, just 19 percent of respondents from organizations with 1,000 or more employees, said they expect to rollout Vista in the first year.

For both company-size categories, these results reflect a slower rate of Windows Vista (http://www.itbusinessedge.com/search/?q=windows+vista) adoption than might be expected for other infrastructure or operating system rollouts. Fifty-two percent of respondents from SMBs said they typically are aggressive with new releases or roll them out within the first year of release; 44 percent of respondents from larger organizations gave a similar response.

The most common implementation timeframe cited by all respondents, at 31 percent, was within one to two years of Vista's launch.

More than 500 IT Business Edge subscribers participated this January in the informal survey, which also asked respondents about their general attitudes toward Microsoft products and which promised features of Windows Vista are of most interest to them. Full results of the survey, plus breakouts of some key segments, are available for download at http://www.itbusinessedge.com/item/?ci=11414.

Some other interesting data points from the survey:

•    Overall, only eight percent of respondents said they would upgrade to Windows Vista within 6 months of release.

•    Overall, 46 percent of respondents said that new security features would be a factor in causing them to undertake a Windows Vista rollout; the next most popular response was end of support for legacy Windows systems, at 28 percent.

•    42 percent of respondents said they had heard nothing about the Windows Vista release that would fit the description of being "most concerning."

•    Interest in Windows Vista was more acute among respondents from smaller companies, with 36 percent saying they are very interested in news about the upcoming platform rollout. Thirty-one percent of respondents from companies with 1,000 or more employees said they were very interested in Windows Vista. But across the board, 77 percent of respondents said they are interested in Windows Vista and are keeping at least moderately informed on the new operating system.

The anonymous survey was administered via e-mail and Web-based survey technology. While every attempt was made to ensure that results are accurate and credible, these results should be viewed as anecdotal and not scientific research.

About IT Business Edge and NarrowCast Group LLC

IT Business Edge is a “technology intelligence agent” that updates subscribers on developments related to their most critical IT priorities. Via the IT Business Edge Web site (http://www.itbusinessedge.com) and weekly e-mail reports, IT Business Edge delivers news, research and analysis aggregated from more than 1,800 technology publishers, vendors, analysts and associations. IT Business Edge is published by NarrowCast Group, LLC, a privately held online media company that targets high-level business technology decision-makers. The company offers IT vendors varied opportunities to access this coveted audience through high-impact advertising and lead-generation programs. Through an array of partnerships with other publishers, NarrowCast Group also markets select books, training products and software tools (http://www.itbusinessedge.com/store/) directly to its subscribers, creating a diverse revenue model while meeting the comprehensive information needs of its customers.

Visit the IT Business Edge service at http://www.itbusinessedge.com.

For more information about NarrowCast Group and IT Business Edge, go to http://www.itbusinessedge.com/aboutus.aspx.

Media Contact:

NarrowCast Group, LLC

Jeff Yocom, Vice President for Subscriber Marketing

502 583-8024 x309

# # #