Windows 8 set for 2014 enterprise adoption

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Enterprises will not be moving quickly to adopt Windows 8, and most will skip next year, according to market research firm Gartner.
 
Users at Gartner’s Symposium/ITexpo conference tended to back up the view that was summarised by Gartner research director Peter Sondergaard. He told attendees here that "however good the prospects look for Windows 8 in the consumer market or for tablets, there are no compelling business imperatives to drive legacy devices in business towards Windows 8."

"Therefore, 90% of enterprises will bypass broad scale deployment of Windows 8 through at least 2014," Sondergaard said.

That does not mean Windows 8 is on the ropes as it is introduced. Large enterprises rarely move quickly to a new Microsoft operating system. Applications have to be tested on it, and some users believe in waiting for the release of the first service pack before considering an upgrade.
 
If enterprises do not like a Microsoft product, which is what happened with the Vista OS, they have shown a willingness to bypass it. Gartner is not saying that this will be the case with Windows 8.
 
What Gartner analysts see are more selective rollouts of Windows 8. The emergence of tablets and smartphones as a primary device for some types of works, such as those in sales, means the days of massive, single standard platform enterprise-wide upgrades are over in many companies.
 
Derek Minnich, an IT program manager at a user company that he asked not be identified, said his company typically follows Gartner’s guidance on deployments. Windows 7 has been running at his company for about two years and there is no reason to upgrade.
 
The only thing that might push a move to Windows 8 is "if tablets really do overtake the PC market rapidly," Minnich said. Users will want Office products on a tablet, and "that’s where the entry point will be," he said.
 
Peter Nies, who works in information security at a company that he asked not be identified, said a concern about Windows 8 is its approach. With its tiles and new interface, he worries about the amount of training that may be needed.
 
"From a user perspective, it scares me because it is so radically different," said Nies.
 
Microsoft sponsored a customer panel here of some early adopters. One, Seton Hall University in New Jersey, supplies students with laptops and has been testing tablets over the years.

IDG News Service

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