The answer to this question is not the same for everyone. It depends on your needs and your IT budget. When it comes to upgrading to Windows 7, I would recommend one of two positions:
The 3 Year Plan
This plan is most appropriate for organizations conserving capital.
- Lay the foundation. Establish a 3 year plan to replace XP by replacing 1/3 of your company PCs each budget year.
- Prepare for XP replacement. Use the 3 year plan so XP is fully replaced before Microsoft’s extended support ends in 2014.
Begin Full Migration
This is best for organizations that have the budget and desire for a full Windows 7 upgrade.
- Setting the standard. Establish W7 and Office 2010 as a standard and begin planned migration.
- Plan Migrations around Office 2010 release. Plan migrations to coincide with Office 2010 release in May, and then update both at the same time. By having both installed at once, you can conserve on your IT budget.
Why should I care?
There are many benefits to upgrading to Windows 7, here are a few of them:
- W7 is a more usable and friendly interface
- Overcome compatibility issues – W7 is Vista compatible; with Windows XP Mode you can run your XP applications from a virtual machine inside Windows 7; use Compatibility Mode.
- W7 has more available memory and provides access to more than 3GB of RAM where required
- W7is a foundation for Office 2010