Torn

It’s been almost half a year since Vista raided PCs all over the world. By now, many would already think or expect to see Microsoft’s new operating system’s interface to be flashed on desktops and laptops in most establishments, especially those which can afford a mass migration to XP’s successor.

Surprisingly though, it is the small consumers who embraced Vista with open and welcoming arms, while all the new OS got from big businesses were cold shoulders and suspicious eyes. So why are companies reluctant to give Microsoft a break?

Same Old Fears

It’s quite hard to imagine that with the advent of efficient device driver finders, many are still playing the incompatibility issue to the hilt in justifying the delay of their migration. Many consumers are happy with their Vista experience, with quite a sizeable number of them claiming that the incompatibility fear that sprouted during the first few weeks of Vista’s release as just an exaggeration.

But are corporations really just digging up autopsied and cleared corpses just to scare themselves from trying the new wave in PC operation?

Not Similarly Situated

Experts admit that the worries expressed by big businesses are not entirely unfounded. Though individual Vista customers are dispelling incompatibility fears, analysts believe that such satisfaction might not immediately be experienced by large customers. For one thing, companies have hundreds or thousands of computers. The applications that they use are definitely more complex and numerous. Hence, the chances of encountering incompatibility problems are equally huge. Such a problem might seem to be just a minor headache for individual consumers. However, such a dilemma is enough to scare the wits out of any IT manager and cripple the business to a standstill.

At Home

Every successful businessman would tell you that the secret to success is to stick to formulas or products that are already tried and tested. It is not surprising then to see that many businesses are still squeezing the mileage out of their existing operating systems. It took years for IT managers to perfect the utilization and harmonization of XP into their corporate network. Such an investment would definitely be put to waste if they’ll hastily migrate to the new OS. Indeed, such a move would seem to be ill-advised and risky.

Waiting for SP1

Another reason why large companies are temporarily shelving their migration plans is due to the delay in the release of Vista’s first service pack. SP1 is expected to contain corrections to dozens of Vista errors, as well as drivers which would ensure that the OS would work smoothly with existing hardware and software. The collection of patches and other helpful applications for Vista is slated to be released by early next year. Many are expecting that SP1 would provide the answer to many of Vista’s current woes.

Its Own Doing

The continued support of Microsoft to Vista’s predecessor also discourages businesses to embrace the new product and dispose of the old one which they spent millions of dollars in. Indeed, as every company would want to make the most out of their investments, it is not surprising to see why they are holding on to their old OS as if it’s still just a year old.

While big businesses posed many reasonable justifications to their refusal to migrate, time will come when installing Vista would already become a necessity. Once Microsoft cuts the lifeline out of XP, it could already breathe life to the new OS more effectively.

Entry Filed under: Device Drivers