While Windows 10 adoption has been solid, Microsoft is still working towards its ambitious targets. Convincing consumers to upgrade to the platform has been easy, with some not-to-gentle coaxing. However, enterprise is always slower to move to major updates. A new report from ZDNet suggests that upgrading to Windows 10 is not a priority.
Microsoft has said it wants Windows 10 on one billion devices by 2018 across consumers and businesses. So far the platform has been seated on around 400 million devices. The next wave of enterprise adoption is needed to take upgrade numbers to the next milestones.
We have reported before on the lack of urgency from organizations. However, as we mentioned in the summer, many companies are approaching upgrade cycles. Despite this, ZDNet has found that the CIOs it has spoken to are not in a rush to upgrade to Windows 10. Indeed, most place moving applications and infrastructure to the cloud as more important.
Companies and their chief information officers now seek more openness. Cross-platform applications are now highly valued. Organizations are increasingly interested in how the cloud can be used to enhance efficiency.
In the report, Neil Moore says he is unlikely to adopt Windows 10 as a fat-client desktop. Moore is Head of ICT at the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Services. Hs is currently exploring a roadmap towards the cloud, while services are delivered through Citrix technology. Moore points out that the cloud and Windows 10 will be delivered through a thin-client.
“The jury’s out for us when it comes to Windows 10 because we’re much more committed to making use of the cloud. Mobility is huge for us — we’re not the type of organization where the majority of our users sit at desks. We’re committed to flexible ways of working and hot-desking,” says Moore.
“We have a lot of users that only need a light touch in terms of Office services, such as productivity and email. We want to encourage people to be out in the community and we want to support people as they work from any location, including the home. The additional flexibility that cloud-based and browser-based services, like Office 365, give to us is a real advantage.”
Windows 7
Despite changes in how organizations manage applications and what they expect from an OS, there are more obvious obstructions for Windows 10. Microsoft’s nearly decade old Windows 7 platform is still going strong. It is the most used PC platform and is still supported by Microsoft. In other words, Windows 7 is still very capable of delivering customer needs.
Microsoft would argue (correctly in many cases) that Windows 10 offers numerous improvements. However, there remains a lack of compelling reasons for organizations to make the upgrade jump.
