Should You Upgrade to Windows 7?

With the recent release of Windows 7, I have had many people ask me if they should upgrade or not. It is sort of a loaded question with as many questions as there are responses. However, I will provide a few key points that may help you decide.

You should ask yourself the following questions before upgrading:

• Do you or your organization really need Windows 7?
• How will you specifically benefit from upgrading?
• Would it be wiser to forecast the upgrade a few months or more out so the initial problems will be addressed by Microsoft?
  
• If you are still running XP, Microsoft ended mainstream support in April of 2009. However security fixes will be provided through 2014. Hows does this impact your decision to upgrade to Windows 7 or possibly another operating system?
• Will the new administration tools in Windows 7 be important enough to your organization to make you consider upgrading?
• Do you have peripherals such as printers, scanners or other devices that are critical parts of your business? If so, are you sure there are Windows 7 drivers available?
  
• Do you need the built-in support for touch screen monitors offered in Windows 7?
• Will the upgrade to Windows 7 force new hardware purchases?
• Since there is no direct upgrade path from XP to Windows 7, will this impact your decision?
• Are there any application compatibility concerns?
• Is your IT staff trained to support and administer Windows 7?
  

This article should help you start thinking about the basics when considering an upgrade to your desktop operating system. Please send me your comments, thoughts or experiences regarding Windows 7.

Tim