Snapshot: IT Vista Deployment Plans
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About 17 percent of IT organizations have started Windows Vista deployments, according to an informal Ziff Davis poll conducted yesterday. |
We polled IT managers attending my Virtual Tradeshow presentation on Windows Vista and managed services. The results are arguably unscientific because there were only about two-dozen respondents and I don't have—at least this morning—more information about the size of respondents' companies or their geographic location.
However, directionally, the results are fairly consistent with analyst predictions and what we've been hearing from solution providers.
Two results stand out: The number already started deployments (17.4 percent)—less than four months following Vista's launch—and IT organizations with no plans at all (21.7 percent). The latter figure is consistent with surveys conducted by JupiterResearch when I worked there as an analyst.
The 17.4 percent already is a big number, but things look better for Microsoft in the third quarter, when about 25 percent would have started deployments. A year from now the number of businesses starting deployment would be more than 42 percent, based on the informal survey.
These numbers track closely to Gartner estimates of big deployment waves in third-fourth quarter of this year and second quarter 2008.
However, the number of businesses with no plans is disturbing. We didn't ask why there were no plans. Those businesses just could be slower moving to Vista, or they may never adopt the operating system. Either way, there is opportunity for solution providers to evangelize this group—about the merits of Vista or alternatives, such as Linux or Mac OS X.
Comments (4)
This isn't even news. A sample size of 24 people does not constitue a large enough sample size to extrapolate the results to the entire population of IT Managers. A first year stats class will tell you that.
Nevermind that the sample population is skewed because they are already a tradeshow on Vista. That population should in fact be HIGHER than what you're showing.
Most organizations that I have talked with refuse to even address Vista until after SP 1, and then they will look at whether or not to start the move. Smaller shops that order new computers might have Vista preinstalled, but that hardly counts as a rollout.
Posted by Jethris | March 21, 2007 12:35 PM
If Vista had been a rip-roaring success right out of the blocks, then this might appear credible.
But no. Its done the long, hard swan dive - and the MS Stock has followed. The advice coming out - "Dont bother upgrading to Vista - just get it with a new machine" has put it on the back burner for a while.
Me ? I upgraded to Vista. Impressed ? Well.
My next portable will be a mac.
20+ years in IT, and I'm just sick and tired of the same tired MS mistakes, time and time again. I just want something that *works*.
---* Bill
Posted by Wild Bill | March 21, 2007 4:42 PM
This sounds about right. Based solely on feedback from my company's customers (Wasatch Software) I would say that about 20% of IT pros buying new Windows licensing expect to roll out Vista immediately (less than 5% on an enterprise-wide basis). The remaining 80% are buying the Windows Vista licensing and utilizing their downgrade rights for Windows XP Pro.
Posted by Spencer Ferguson | March 21, 2007 5:58 PM
I think a some companies that just completed a hardware and/or software upgrade cycle in 2006 are hoping they can skip Vista and move to the next major version. Assuming that Microsoft shakes it off and actually does start to have more frequent releases. That could explain why companies indicate that they have no plans to upgrade to Vista.
Wild Bill makes a point that I think a lot of long-time techies that have lived in the Windows world can sympathize with. I'm considering an Apple for our next living room system. Something that works sounds really appealing.
Posted by Chad | March 25, 2007 9:11 PM