Over two-thirds of APac SMEs plan Windows 7 migration: survey

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 25 May 2010 10:28

Business IT - Technology

According to a research firm, 72% of small and medium businesses in the Asia-Pacific region have upgraded or are planning to upgrade to Windows 7.

72% of Asia-Pacific SMEs have plans in place to upgrade to Windows 7, and the regional penetration of Microsoft's most recent operating system is growing at an average of 33% per month since October 2009, according to Springboard Research.

This takeup is more widespread than that of Vista or XP, and ahead of the EMEA region where 62% of SMEs have similar plans. However, Noth American SMEs are setting the pace with 73% having active plans to adopt Windows 7.

Not surprisingly, businesses with fewer than 20 employees were found to be the fastest adopters.

"Microsoft and hardware manufacturers are likely to see strong Windows 7 growth over the next six to twelve months," said Michael Barnes, Springboard's VP of software and Asia Pacific research.

"Large enterprises are following their usual trend of a more measured adoption cycle, but SMBs in Asia are transitioning to Windows 7 at a quick pace," he added.

Which Windows 7 benefits do SMEs consider most important? See page 2.