[Y] XP's end means enterprises will move to Windows 7 - Page 4 - Overclock.net

Diabolical999 · 11-03-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by tNok85

I understand liking Windows 7. I like it a lot. I just don't see HOW it will be beneficial for even a medium sized company to switch over right now, or even in the next six months to a year.

When it comes to security -- from that standpoint, I think Windows 7 would be the smarter OS to go with. Windows XP is by far one of the most vulnerable operating systems ever. Whenever you hear of a large corporation getting hacked into, they no doubt are still running XP, the majority of the time.

wierdo124 · 11-03-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by tNok85

"beginning in late 2011 and accelerating through 2012"

Alright, so in about two years, it will be forced. That happens.

However, I'm still curious, what features does Windows 7 have that add to the business environment that is not already polished and working in Windows XP? What incentive is there beyond the "In two years, we won't support it anymore! Ha ha!" ...which is not necessarily incentive, by the way. It's leaving you one of ... one choice.

Not to mention, most businesses continue using the SAME stuff. That has always worked with XP. They're not gonna drop their multimillion dollar company and say "lol dood, get 7". No. They're going to say "Ok, we'll keep updating, but no new versions. We're still gonna support you, but please consider 7". Gotta remember, it costs millions of dollars to upgrade these corporations. All the licensing, plus the IT help, plus software upgrades/etc. Lots of work.

Sabis · 11-03-09

there comes a point though when you HAVE to. Think about it. Lets say your machines are so aged that they were upgraded to XP from ME. o.0 These things may be using PC100 RAM even. Eventually, it breaks, and eventually, replacement parts cost more then replacement systems. The main issue is industrial machines, with custom stuff to run big machines, software made by companies long since out of business and thus can't be upgraded. So these multi-million dollar machines would have to be replaced as well. THAT is what is holding us back, was people relied far too much on things never changing when they created the stuff that's been out for so long.

astraelraen · 11-03-09

I am 2nd in command for IT in a smaller firm (~50 employees in 3 offices)

I love W7 for my personal computer, but I too am finding it difficult to convince the #1 that W7 is a MUST HAVE upgrade over XP. XP works well and until software supports starts to drop I doubt we will have a good reason to change.

The two biggest practical points I see over XP are
1) A lot better x64 support and support for more memory. Most of our desktops are running 2-4GB. With next year's upgrade all will be at 4GB. All desktops are currently running XP Pro 32-bit.

2) I feel (not really substantiated with fact) that the better multi-core support in W7 (and Vista) will provide a real advantage compared to XP. We have quite a few dual-core processors in XP that don't feel all that fast.

tNok85 · 11-03-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverPotato

Uh... I don't really know what to say any more, I've answered your question twice now

. All I can say is if we never upgrade then we'll be stuck on the same old thing forever.

I'm sorry, but your reasoning seems to boil down to "It's NEW!" and "It feels nicer.", which at a consumer level is a reason to upgrade. Not for a company that relies on stability.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diabolical999

When it comes to security -- from that standpoint, I think Windows 7 would be the smarter OS to go with. Windows XP is by far one of the most vulnerable operating systems ever. Whenever you hear of a large corporation getting hacked into, they no doubt are still running XP, the majority of the time.

Alright... because almost every major corporation is still running XP. So if somebody gets 'hacked', it's most likely going to be XP. Most 'hacking' in the corporate environment goes on by the users WITHIN the environment... and most if it never gets reported to the authorities or the news. Can you imagine the loss of profits if somebody knew that say, an insurance company had been breached a dozen times last year?

The security of a corporation relies so much more on their network infrastructure and internal policies than their desktop OS. Personnel policies and blocking unapproved sites have nothing to do with your OS.

I think I'm going to step out of this conversation. Most people here have no experience with Windows XP (or any other OS) beyond the end level consumer, and maybe at your job. When you work with thousands of Windows XP boxes, and understand what goes into that, you look at it a little differently.

Again I'm not anti-Windows 7. I really enjoy it. I'd like to use it at work. It just needs to be proven first. And when an hour of downtime means millions in lost revenue, 'It feels snappy' and 'It's new' are not valid reasons.

legoman786 · 11-03-09

Enterprises can benefit from the NEW Direct Access... It's the death of VPN, as the presenter stated, when I went to the pre-launch event.

He had no VPN set up, yet he could access files from REDMOND!!!! I was like lolwut.

StarlessKnight · 11-04-09

Companies that rely on Microsoft support to support their Microsoft-based network will switch to Windows 7 (or 8 whenever it is released, but then you're hoping it's out and tested whereas Windows 7 will have been vetted) before XP support drops dead. It's either that or be prepared to pay extra for the support from Microsoft or someone else for when something really bad breaks and you need it fixed now.

If the company couldn't care less about official support, then pushing for Windows 7 won't be as big of a priority.

(By the way, as someone that uses Active Directory at work, but isn't a System/Network Admin, is Microsoft ever going to actually add more functionality to AD or are there other applications you pay for for said functionality? Just simple things.. more fields for user information, ability to see when a password expires and extend its expiration as needed, easier to manage a user's memberships somehow..)

mbp · 11-04-09

Too many companies to list still use XP. I'm in the hospitality business and the big chains are still using XP infact just last year Wyndham Hotel Group made their lower tier brands (Days Inn, Super 8, etc) upgrade their computer systems which came with what? Windows XP.... It's proven for stability. They actually just finished rolling out with these new system upgrades. Also keep in mind just for upgrading ONE system it was a mandatory cost of over $10,000 that included training but it still took my employees months after to understand this system. No small business is going to dish out another huge payment like that within a matter of those few years and on top of that deal with screw ups on reports. Return on investment is what all businesses look for.

My uncle deals with Intercontinental Hotel Group (Holiday Inn, Hampton etc) they also use XP on all their computers. They also run windows server 2000 STILL. These servers contain very sensitive information, but they still have them deployed and use them every day.

Typically these big companies will keep using the older product to the very last minute until the new OS is PROVEN reliable like tNok said.

I love windows 7 so far on my desktop and my laptop it's GREAT. However I was having some minor issues, that I took care of because it was my Personal Computer. Like tNok explained that's my opinion as a consumer.