500 days to go until the death of Windows 7…yet 66% of IT departments don’t see migration as a priority
BEND, OR – 31st August 2018 – This Saturday (1st September) marks exactly 500 days until Microsoft pulls the plug on Windows 7 and stops providing vital security updates to the world’s most popular operating system.
Despite the countdown clock ticking, 66% of corporate IT departments don’t see the migration away from Windows 7 as a priority before the January 2020 deadline. That’s according to new research from Enterprise Content Delivery platform Kollective.
The research, which surveyed 260 UK and US corporate IT decision makers, found that 43% are still running Windows 7 across their organizations, while nearly 1 in 5 (17%) aren’t even aware of the end of support.
Other key findings from the research include:
- Despite the deadline, 6% of businesses have no plans to migrate away from Windows 7
- 24% will leave it up to individual employees to update and migrate their systems
- Only 20% of enterprises have completed their migration to Windows 10
- Network issues mean that 27% of enterprises must allow at least a month to roll out new OS and security updates
Commenting on the findings, Jon O’Connor, Solution Architect at Kollective said, “While 500 days may seem like a long time, it took many businesses upwards of three years to transition from Windows XP to Windows 7. Although Microsoft has since streamlined the process, we are expecting similar migration timelines for Windows 10.
“For large enterprises, the key will be ensuring that the update can be rolled out automatically and at scale. Unfortunately, our research suggests that many businesses simply don’t have the network infrastructure needed to achieve this simultaneous update, as such many will spend months – or even years – migrating their systems entirely. If the January 2020 deadline is missed, this will pose a major security threat for the world’s businesses.”
To address such network issues, Kollective recommends that businesses do not rip out and replace their existing infrastructures, but instead run a software-defined network over the top of their current outdated networks.
To find out more about the end of Windows 7, download Kollective’s infographic.
About Kollective
At Kollective, we make corporate networks smarter so your people can work better. The Kollective platform scales existing IT infrastructure to accelerate content delivery to the edge of the enterprise while minimizing network congestion. From live town hall meetings, global presentations and on-demand video training, to major operating system updates and the delivery of critical patches, Kollective keeps your network secure without impacting critical business applications. With Kollective it’s as easy to reach a device on your network across the world as it is to reach one in the cubicle next door.
Methodology
Kollective commissioned independent research agency Censuswide to survey 130 UK and 130 US IT decision makers in March 2018.
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