Most enterprises will eventually migrate to Windows 7 — Microsoft’s (MSFT) newest version of the world’s dominant PC operating system — but they’re not in any hurry to do so.
And half are thinking about switching to a non-Windows system, such as Apple’s (AAPL) Mac OS X.
These are among the findings of a survey commissioned by KACE, a Mountain View, Calif., systems management company that hopes to cash in on what it is portraying as a bumpy transition.
The survey of 1,142 IT professionals conducted in March by Dimension Research found that the vast majority (84%) are going to wait at least a year to upgrade to Windows 7, despite the generally positive reviews from beta testers.
Fully 50% said they were considering leaving Windows altogether — up from 27% two years ago — and Mac OS X was the system they are most likely to switch to.
Among the survey’s other findings:
- 53% of those who will upgrade to Windows 7 say that they are doing so primarily to avoid Windows Vista
- 67% state concerns about Windows 7, with 88% of those worried about software compatibility
- 83% will skip Vista and migrate directly to Windows 7
- 72% are more concerned about upgrading to Windows 7 than staying on Windows XP
- 14% have already switched or started the process of switching operating systems (up from 11% in 2008)
In addition to Mac OS X, enterprises are looking at a rainbow of Unix alternatives, as shown in the chart below:
The full survey is available through KACE here (registration required).
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