Terry Stein - It's an IW World, and I'm Just Living In It!

Given that Windows Vista deployment is a key initiative for us at Microsoft over the next 12 months (or more), I thought it would be worthwhile to spend a few minutes sharing some facts about where we are with some of the perceived issues that customers regularly share with us concerning their interest, or lack thereof, with deploying Windows Vista in their own environments.

Certainly, we are beginning to see more and more companies in the process of deploying Windows Vista now than we have had previously.  Some of these companies are beginning the planning of how to do it, some are testing it in their labs, and others are a little further down the road and getting ready to deploy.

SP1 recently shipped and provided has several improved features.  We've had a lot of hardware and ISV partners working to get their products working in the Windows Vista world, and now is a great time to think about getting it deployed in your customer environments.

But I promised facts, so here you go.  These were taken from a recent TechNet Flash Newsletter article.

• Windows Vista now supports more than 77,000 printers, cameras, speakers and other devices.
• More than 2,700 software programs are “Certified for” or “Works with” Windows Vista-logoed; 97 of the top 100 consumer applications are compatible.
• 62% of small businesses said Windows Vista saves them time, and 70% said it makes them more productive, according to an independent survey.
• More than 140 million copies of Windows Vista have been sold, making it the fastest selling operating system in Microsoft history. Even Macs run it.
• 71 percent of Windows Vista customers like it better than their last operating system.
• People familiar with Windows Vista are two to three times more likely to have a favorable impression of it.
• Every 10 PCs that switch to Windows Vista is the equivalent of taking an automobile off the road, in terms of greenhouse gases.

If you’re still on the fence with regard to deploying Windows Vista, read Technical Fellow Mark Russinovich’s Springboard article where he discusses why now may be a good time to take another look at Windows Vista. Also see Mark and a panel of experts discuss adopting Windows Vista into a desktop infrastructure. The panel features subject-matter experts and IT pros from around the world that have tackled Windows Vista deployment.