Windows 7: Almost half of techies will deploy before SP1
Windows XP support approaching its end prompts businesses to make the move
IT departments are already gearing up to deploy Windows 7 - and almost half aren't going to wait until the first service pack is released.
Some 87 per cent of IT professionals in North America, Europe and Asia are planning to roll out Microsoft's latest operating system according to a survey by Dimensional Research, with 46 per cent saying they'll do so before the software giant releases SP1 later this year.
Among the drivers for businesses' current enthusiasm for Windows is the approaching end of support for Windows XP, the most widely used enterprise operating system, which is set to cease in 2014.
Businesses are warming to Windows 7
(Screenshot: Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)
Analyst house Gartner has advised businesses to move away from Windows XP by 2012, however - and with most migration projects taking a year to 18 months to complete, it's no surprise that interest in Windows 7 is enjoying something of a spike.
Greater confidence in Windows 7's stability, security and performance is also serving to push businesses towards deploying the OS.
The survey, commissioned by systems management vendor KACE, found the percentage of techies saying they have concerns over the performance of the OS now stands at 25 per cent, compared to 47 per cent who said the same thing around a year ago.
Windows 7 will be the dominant operating system for new business PCs this year, analyst house Forrester believes.