Should small businesses upgrade to Windows 7?

As I mentioned in my previous post, Windows 7 has good benefits but it’s hard for some small businesses to determine if it’s worth the investment of upgrading to this new version.

Here is a simple guide for small businesses to consider.

Who should consider upgrading to Windows 7:

Those running Vista. If you happen to be using Vista, you should definitely go ahead and upgrade to Windows 7. Microsoft provides a fairly simple upgrade path to do so, and Windows 7 fixes the problems that Vista still has.
Those running XP on new machines. If you’re running Windows XP on a new machine, it most likely has the horsepower to run Windows 7 just fine. While you don’t need to upgrade – Windows XP is still a very effective operating system – you can upgrade if you believe that Windows 7 has enough benefits to justify the expense. That being said, the expense will be considerable, as upgrading from Windows XP requires a complete “wipe” of your existing operating system, which means that you or someone else will have to spend hours on the process.

Who shouldn’t upgrade to Windows 7:

Those running XP on an older machine. If you are running a machine that is a couple of years old or older, you shouldn’t bother with the expense of upgrading to Windows 7 on this computer. It most likely will not handle the upgrade well, and the money would be better spent on a new computer that will come pre-loaded with Windows 7.
Those running older and/or custom applications that have not been thoroughly tested for Windows 7. Some applications will not run on Windows 7, or will at least experience some significant performance problems. Don’t upgrade until you can determine that all of your applications have tested fine on Windows 7.
Those looking for major feature enhancements. There aren’t really any major feature enhancements in Windows 7 that are “must haves”. The operating system is cooler, faster, and more stable and secure - but those are all things you may not really even notice depending on how your current system is performing. Don’t expect to be knocked over by all of the amazing new productivity you get from Windows 7, because you probably won’t be.
Those that are particularly budget conscious. Windows 7 is not cheap, particularly if you are upgrading from Windows XP.

Everon is helping its clients determine whether it makes sense for them to upgrade – click here to get 50% off a Windows 7 Compatability Assessment for your organization.

Mike

PS: if you have upgraded to Windows 7, check out this previous post for tips on using Windows 7

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