Is Windows 7 Really Worth the Investment?

The concept of return on investment (ROI) dates back to the beginning of time and is perhaps best defined by Machiavelli in the phrase "the end justifies the means." As IT and users to prepare for the launch of Windows 7, the same cold calculation has to be done in a while, if not if, the move to Windows 7. The question is simple: Is my investment in the purchase, deployment, and training for Windows 7 to provide my business with a positive ROI?

In the current troubled economy, it is difficult to justify spending additional funds which may be just become eye candy improvements. The fact is, if your users are working well and has problems with its limited current XP or Vista environment (but be realistic - few companies have adopted this latest operating system), which is unlikely to achieve significant and measurable ROI in a change to Windows 7.

Note: There are credible tools and worksheets that can help you assess and quantify the costs and benefits of switching to Windows 7. One that I found to be very comprehensive and useful comes from research and consulting Hall. And when you're ready to make the transition to Windows 7, I encourage you to read my how-to guide InfoWorld Ready for Windows 7? Here is how to implement it ", which is also available in a Kindle version of Kindle and Amazon.com Owners of iPhone owners who have installed the Kindle.

When Windows 7 ROI is likely to come from

So where is coming from an ROI with Windows 7? Certainly not the capacity or changes AeroShake new Ribbon interface in WordPad or Paint Scenic. However, improvements such as BitLocker encryption and add-on Bitlocker to go to make a very strong case for deploying Windows 7 for business users who travel.

According to Gartner, a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds. The belief is that half of data breaches suffered by businesses have been lost or stolen laptops, mobile devices, and USB flash drives. And it is believed that 60 percent of corporate data that administrators try to protect her running around with people on their laptops every day. BitLocker (which encrypt your PC) and BitLocker-to-Go (which encrypts all USB devices like flash drives and memory charms) can reduce or even eliminate their fear of data loss. If you are subject to the laws of privacy and disclosure reporting violation, an investment in Windows 7 for BitLocker could save you millions in fines and costs further notice.

But what about Windows 7 includes other great keep hearing, as DirectAccess, BranchCache and AppLocker? Each of these features will provide a minimum benefit to your organization. But to achieve this is also a plan to implement Windows Server 2008 R2 (not necessarily a complete update of forests) to take advantage of these features. (Read my article "Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2: joined at the hip" to see how these two products will benefit each other.)