New InformationWeek Reports Research Finds Mixed Outlook for Windows 8

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- InformationWeek Reports (reports.informationweek.com), a service for peer-based IT research and analysis, announced the release of its latest research report. Our Windows 8 report encompasses analysis of results from InformationWeek's recent survey on IT's plans for Microsoft's new client and server OS. Nearly 1,000 business technology professionals, all from organizations with 500 or more employees, responded to this poll.

Research Summary:

Windows XP still rules the corporate desktop roost, according to InformationWeek's October 2011 Windows 8 Survey. Ninety percent of respondents say XP is in use on their companies' PCs, despite Microsoft's plan to end support. Among those who do plan to upgrade on desktops and/or laptops, 58% will eventually run Win 8 on 76% or more of these devices.

Other Findings: 

• 28% have not yet established any timeline for migrating to Win 8 on desktops/laptops compared with just 18% who will upgrade within 12 months.
• On the server side, 39% of those upgrading will eventually run 76% or more of their devices on Windows 8 Server; the top driver is a more capable version of Hyper-V.
• For PCs, Windows Vista lags behind both Linux and Mac OS X in terms of penetration, 20% vs. 34% and 29%, respectively.

The report author, Randy George, is a senior systems analyst for a major-league sports team.

For full access to the research data, members can download now: http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/7/8611/Enterprise-Software/research-windows-8.html

"One area where Win 8 isn't being received with much excitement is mobile devices," says Lorna Garey, content director of InformationWeek Reports. "Just 1% currently run the OS on smartphones or tablets, and 21% have no plans to do so in the future."

For more information:
Art Wittmann
VP & Managing Director, InformationWeek Reports
415-947-6361
awittmann@techweb.com

About InformationWeek Business Technology Network (http://www.informationweek.com)

The InformationWeek Business Technology Network provides IT executives with unique analysis and tools that parallel their work flow—from defining and framing objectives through to the evaluation and recommendation of solutions. Anchored by InformationWeek, the multimedia powerhouse that looks across the enterprise, the network scales across the most critical technology categories with online properties like DarkReading.com (security), NetworkComputing.com (networking and communications) and BYTE (consumer technology). The network also provides focused content for key IT targets, such as CIOs, developers, and SMBs via InformationWeek Global CIO, Dr. Dobb's and InformationWeek SMB, as well as vital vertical industries with InformationWeek Financial Services, Government and Healthcare sites. Content is at the nucleus of our information distribution strategy—IT professionals turn to our experts and communities to stay informed, get advice and research technologies to make strategic business decisions.

About UBM TechWeb (http://www.ubmtechweb.com)

UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its three core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and paid content – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands and media applications in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs and IT managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software Developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively engage in UBM TechWeb's communities and information resources monthly. UBM TechWeb brands include: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and Enterprise Connect; award-winning online resources such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Network Computing; and market-leading magazines InformationWeek, Wall Street & Technology, and Advanced Trading. UBM TechWeb is a UBM plc company, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

SOURCE UBM TechWeb