All Covered Survey Reveals Windows Vista Readiness

Improved Security and Easier Deployment and Desktop Management Cited as Top Reasons to Upgrade

(Redwood City, CA) February 8, 2007: All Covered—the only nationwide information technology (IT) services company focused solely on the unique needs of small businesses — today announced the successful attendance of its web seminar on Windows Vista and the results of its recent Windows Vista Readiness survey.   

More than 325 participants listened to “The Windows Vista Decision – Should it be on Your Desktop?” a web seminar that highlighted the new capabilities of Windows Vista, the business value of the upgrade, some deployment challenges and tools available to make deployment and upgrading smooth and easy.   

In early January, All Covered surveyed 124 businesses regarding their readiness for and challenges of upgrading to Windows Vista.  Companies ranged in size from 10 or less employees to more than 500.

All Covered’s survey results reported that 78% of respondents had some familiarity with Vista.  In terms of companywide deployment, as with many new operating systems, 72% reported that they would not deploy Vista until 12 months or more after the commercial launch.

Primary decision criteria for upgrading were reported as:

#1 PC upgrade/refresh cycle

#2 Improved security

#3 Easier deployment and desktop management

Nearly 40% of respondents said 76-100% of their machines were Vista capable, however the opposite was true for Vista premium ready machines with only 9% of respondents citing that 76-100% of their installed base of desktops were at this level.

Respondents were asked what would prompt them to upgrade faster than the proposed deployment timeline and top reasons were more budget and discounts or incentives on licensing.  If companies were to stagger the release of Vista, 37% said the IT department would receive it first with 29% reporting power users, regardless of the department, would be first on the upgrade list.

The primary challenges to upgrading to Vista were cited as hardware compatibility, software/application compatibility and lack of monetary resources.

Lastly, participants were asked about their upgrade plans for Vista in conjunction with the other new Microsoft products.  50% of the participants had no plans to upgrade to Office 2007, while 36% planned to upgrade to Office in conjunction with Vista.  In terms of plans to upgrade Vista, Office 2007 and Exchange 2007, 44% had no plans to upgrade to Exchange 2007.  Only 11% planned to upgrade to Exchange, Office and Vista at the same time.

While a majority of the respondents reported that they would not deploy Windows Vista until 12 months after the release, with the purchase of new computers or home computers coming into the workplace, the reality is that Vista will be introduced into the business, even if it is unplanned.

All Covered recommends using IT professionals that are experts at major OS upgrades and familiar with their inner workings:

 

• Determine the business value of the upgrade – do the features/benefits outweigh the costs?
• Evaluate the company’s hardware and software readiness
• Test the new OS in lab environment, especially against the main applications for compatibility
• Evaluate the new imaging, deployment and upgrade tools
• Properly plan for the upgrade with a defined timelines with milestones and tasks
• Incorporate significant user training to minimize help desk calls (and frustration) after the migration

About All Covered

All Covered is the only nationwide information technology (IT) services company that focuses on the unique computing, networking and application needs of small businesses. All Covered's geographic reach, extensive knowledgebase, automated systems, proven methodology, and preferred vendor relationships helps small businesses be successful.

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Contact Info:
Edith Gong
650-486-5028
press@allcovered.com