Windows 7 to grab over half of global corporations in a year

Around 57 per cent of corporate customers worldwide are expected to deploy the Windows 7 operating system (OS) in the next 12 to 18 months, Microsoft officials said on Monday.

Quoting recent research conducted by Forrester, Rich Reynolds, General Manager Marketing Division of Microsoft, said there is a “pent-up demand” from end-users to switch their OS to the latest Windows iteration.

“The transition is not so much from Vista, but from XP with regard to corporate clients. We’re talking about an OS that is eight years old, so there is a pent-up demand both from the end-user and the IT perspective,” says Reynolds. He added that the Forrester research involved corporations from the United States, Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

When asked how the financial downturn would influence regional users’ shift to Windows 7, Ali Faramawy, Vice-President Microsoft International, says it all depends on how customers view IT spending.

“There are two ways of looking at IT – one, as expenses and another as a strategic asset. What we are noticing is a wider sentiment shift towards IT as a strategic asset,” he said.

He added that the financial crisis has posed a major concern for companies in addressing issues related to reducing operational cost while at the same time maintaining corporate productivity.

Madhav Narayan, General Manager and head of sales and marketing of Samsung’s IT Division, said most computer vendors are pushing toward quick conversion to the latest Windows.

Samsung Electronics is one of several computer manufacturers that have launched new models pre-installed with the latest Microsoft OS. At Gitex, Samsung has been promoting its X420 notebook and N510 netbook, which come with Windows 7 preinstalled.

“Most vendors here at Gitex have a Windows 7 offering. Microsoft is also driving that move continuously. From a vendor’s standpoint, I think the transition to Windows 7 is more or less complete,” he told Alrroya.com.

According to global research firm IDC, the Microsoft “ecosystem” in the UAE – companies selling technology devices that run Microsoft software – will generate Dh7.6 billion ($2.1 bn) in revenues this year despite the prevailing slowdown.

This holds promise for the local technology industry, especially since IDC was even more specific in disclosing that for every dirham that Microsoft will make in the UAE this year, companies in its local ecosystem will earn about Dh12.35.