Windows 7 as a catalyst for change
Technology markets are changing fast. This report is essential reading to identify and track the key forces shaping the prospects for your business. In this and subsequent reports, we will outline the changes in desktop technology that will impact desktop service offerings and the way providers deliver them. Although all corporate desktops look alike, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for delivering them to end users. A business case needs to consider the maturity of the technology and services and the roles each might play in your organisation.
Technology markets are changing fast. This report is essential reading to identify and track the key forces shaping the prospects for your business. In this and subsequent reports, we will outline the changes in desktop technology that will impact desktop service offerings and the way providers deliver them. Although all corporate desktops look alike, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for delivering them to end users. A business case needs to consider the maturity of the technology and services and the roles each might play in your organisation.
Enterprises need to take account of three developments, which will start to impact their spending on workplace services in 2010 and beyond.
These include:
• Windows 7
• virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)
• desktop-as-a-service (DaaS).
Each promises greater efficiency and, in this report, we consider the case for Windows 7. There is no doubting the impact Windows 7 will have on the market in 2010/11, but the opportunity for enterprises and service providers alike goes beyond deployment of the technology.
• Windows 7 is a catalyst for change.
• Windows 7 is an opportunity for enterprises to reassess their desktop strategies.
• For many IT organisations, pent-up demand to replace ageing technology threatens to outweigh the business case.
The case for Windows 7 is being promoted as a technological necessity: XP is old; the clock is ticking on support. Nevertheless, IT must build the business case for the Windows 7 refresh: rationalisation and a clean-up of the application estate head the list of business drivers. Major refreshes should be the catalyst for change – but not change for change’s sake. They should be undertaken infrequently and, when undertaken, they should be comprehensive and result in measurable improvements in service delivery and cost.
