Microsoft may promote Windows 7 as an essential element of the next-generation office, but a new research note from Gartner suggests that upgrading from Windows XP and Windows 2000 could create a burden on companies’ IT budgets.
Gartner estimates the costs of an accelerated migration in an office of 10,000 PCs where all units will be replaced at between $1,205 and $1,999 per PC. Capital costs would account for 60 percent of that total cost.
Upgrading those PCs, instead of replacing them, will translate into a migration cost of $1,274 and $2,069 per PC. In this scenario, lower capital costs are offset by higher labor costs associated with the migration; in addition, Gartner approximates that 25 percent of PCs would need a hardware upgrade.
Corporations could also consider a partial migration to a hosted virtual desktop environment, particularly for their data-entry workers, but Gartner analysts warn that the cost of the associated IT infrastructure will outweigh any potential savings.
For more, read the eWeek article Windows 7 Migration Could Create Budget Burdens.
