MOUNTAIN VIEW, USA: KACE, systems management appliance company has announced the results from a new survey that revealed 84 percent of IT staff polled do not have plans to upgrade existing Windows desktop and laptop systems to Windows 7 in the next year, despite early enthusiasm from beta testers of the new operating system.

Many respondents cited Vista shortcomings as the leading reason for a slow go approach to Windows 7. Software compatibility, cost of implementation, and the current economic environment were also cited as leading concerns about migrating to Windows 7.

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Further, the vast majority, 83 percent, said they are likely to skip Vista altogether and eventually migrate directly to Windows 7.

The research, consisting of an online survey of more than 1,100 worldwide participants representing a wide range of IT functions, was conducted by market research firm Dimensional Research and commissioned by KACE to gather data about current opinions around Windows 7 intended adoption.

The research shows that IT departments of all sizes have concerns about moving to Windows 7. In fact, continuing a trend identified in earlier research, 50 percent are considering moving from Windows altogether to alternative operating systems, such as the Mac OS and Linux, up almost 10 percent from a survey conducted last July.

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“The research shows that despite the early enthusiasm for Windows 7, organizations are still wary about adoption, demonstrating what could be described as an even overly cautious approach,” said Diane Hagglund, senior research analyst for Dimensional Research and the survey’s author.

“Negative public perception of Vista seems to have helped build this layer of distrust with Windows 7,” added Hagglund.

A summary of key findings from the survey include:

* 84 percent of survey respondents have no plans to upgrade existing Windows desktops and laptops to Windows 7 next year;

* 72 percent indicated they are more concerned about upgrading to Windows 7 than staying with an outdated Windows XP operating system;

* 50 percent revealed they have considered moving from Windows to an alternative operating system, and 27 percent of those cited Mac OS as the top alternative;

* Almost 60 percent of survey respondents do not presently have a tool in place that automates operating system migration;

* Economic factors, such as budget freezes and staff reductions, were cited as other reasons to not immediately adopt Windows 7.