New study ties Windows 7 upgrades with desktop virtualisation initiatives
Synopsis
These are some of the key findings of a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Dimension Data on the desktop virtualisation market. The statistics below reflect points of comparison between the global data findings and the Australia-specific results.
Peter Menadue, Dimension Data’s Group General Manager, Microsoft Solutions, can offer local insight into the issues of the local desktop virtualisation market, highlighting trends, opportunities, the Windows XP end-of-support deadline and the complex issues of applications ecosystems.
Research highlights:
In the global study of 546 organisations, close to half (46%) said that they had begun ‘aggressive efforts’ to migrate to Windows 7, with a further 17% planning to deploy within the next year.
In Australia, as with the rest of the world, close to half (46%) of organisations said they have begun aggressive efforts to migrate to Windows 7, with a further 26% planning to deploy within the next year.
While 13% of global companies said they had completed their enterprise-wide migrations, 51% of IT managers surveyed said they have linked their Windows 7 migrations to their organisation’s PC refresh cycle.
In Australia, a comparable 12% had completed their enterprise-wide migrations, but a significantly higher percentage (63%) of IT managers have linked Windows 7 migrations to their PC refresh cycle.
Around 21% of enterprises are prioritising desktop and application virtualisation over their Windows 7 upgrade, and 29% are deliberately coinciding their investments in Windows 7 and desktop virtualisation.
In Australia around 29% of enterprises are prioritising desktop and application virtualisation over their Windows 7 upgrade. Again, a much higher 35% are deliberately coinciding their investments in Windows 7 and desktop virtualisation.
Most of the global respondents confirmed that they still support a large population of Windows XP and Vista users (47.3% and 9.1% respectively) compared to 31% of users already on Windows 7.
These findings were reflected in the Australian results, with 46.6 supporting Windows XP and 10.7% supporting Vista. 29.9% of users are already on Windows 7.
Press Release
Sydney – 15 September 2011: With less than 1,000 days to go until Microsoft no longer supports Microsoft®Windows XP, organisations across the globe are reporting they are accelerating their migration to modern desktops powered by Microsoft®Windows 7. In addition, the high level of awareness among these organisations of desktop virtualisation’s potential to simplify the move to a new operating system such as Windows 7 is driving their decision to invest.
These are some of the key findings of a commissioned study* conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Dimension Data on the desktop virtualisation market. Of the 546 organisations that were surveyed, close to half (46%) said that they had begun ‘aggressive efforts’ to migrate to Windows 7, with a further 17% planning to deploy within the next year.
While 13% of companies said they had completed their enterprise-wide migrations, 51% of IT managers surveyed said they have linked their Windows 7 migrations to their organisation’s PC refresh cycle. Around 21% of enterprises are prioritising desktop and application virtualisation over their Windows 7 upgrade, and 29% are deliberately coinciding their investments in Windows 7 and desktop virtualisation.
Ettienne Reinecke, Dimension Data’s Chief Technology Officer said, “The Forrester research tells us that organisations are under pressure to beat the Windows XP end-of-support deadline. Of those organisations surveyed, 22% said they do not have a Windows 7 deployment plan in place, and another 13% are uncertain how long their deployments will take. Most of the respondents confirmed that they still support a large population of Windows XP and Vista users (47.3% and 9.1% respectively) compared to 31% of users already on Windows 7.”
With the use of desktop virtualisation predicted to grow significantly in the next two years, Reinecke believes Windows 7 is an ideal opportunity for organisations to implement a more modern, next- generation desktop that will be more secure and less time and labour intensive to deliver end-users with the functionality, interface and access they desire. However, he warned that desktop virtualisation is not a silver bullet to address all desktop related challenges.
“Organisations must first understand their business drivers, workforce demands, and the state of their application ecosystem before they define their next generation desktop roadmap.
“Many of our clients are grappling with complex issues relating to their applications ecosystems. And while the research indicates that the major drivers behind desktop virtualisation are cost reduction and security, 47% of participants said that they recognised that applications virtualisation will help them to migrate to Windows 7. To reduce complexity, organisations would do well to tie virtualisation investments into their Windows 7 migration plan,” Reinecke said.
To read more about Dimension Data’s desktop virtualisation study, visit www.dimensiondata.com/desktopvirtualisation
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About Dimension Data
Founded in 1983, Dimension Data plc is an ICT services and solutions provider that uses its technology expertise, global service delivery capability, and entrepreneurial spirit to accelerate the business ambitions of its clients. Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Group. www.dimensiondata.com
* Dimension Data commissioned Forrester Consulting to carry out research on the desktop virtualisation market. Forrester surveyed 546 enterprises across all industries in Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia with with 500 or more employees concerning their client virtualisation and end user computing plans.