With Windows XP facing end-of-life and the Windows 8 preview in the public's hands, enterprises are considering a radical move: skipping two versions of Windows. Migration will be a very hot topic in 2012. With any type of strategic IT decision, organizations need to consider many different factors such as resources needed, costs, testing, compatibility, and training. While Windows 8 is loaded with new features, it also deprecates features users have grown accustomed to and it will require extra user training. But before you race to Windows 8, check out these 8 reasons why as a CIO, you shouldn't:
Slideshow: 8 Hot Features in Windows 8
1. Devices have to catch up to OS capabilities - Windows 8 is more than the next Windows operating system. It is really about a whole new wave of devices and a new touch-oriented computing experience. Unlike other tablet or slate devices (e.g. iPad or Kindle Fire) that have hardware genetically tied to software, Microsoft is sticking with its model of empowering independent hardware vendors to create devices to run Windows. Because the paradigm shift with Windows 8 is bigger, the risk is greater to migrate early as vendors rationalize and perfect implementation of touch in Windows hardware. Having penned the CIO's worst four letter word less than 100 words into this missive is telling. But really, no one thought twice about keyboard and mouse compatibility. With touch coming fully into the mainstream, we are being forced to consider all of the device changes we so easily forgot. There is also the not-so-small budget consideration around hardware procurement. You can count on first generation devices to be more expensive and less reliable and durable than their second or third generation successors.
2. A new breed of hardware is accompanied by new drivers - With the new wave of devices comes a whole new set of device drivers and the great IT pain point of driver management. In the past you could probably get by with the UPnP in-box driver that wasn't exactly the OEM driver, but worked. With touch and a new breed of wireless peripherals that will surely accompany these new devices -- not to mention the deprecation of optical drives (I'm afraid, a DVD drive will become increasingly rare on devices intended to run Windows 8) -- driver management and smarter deployment will become critical. Because of the new capabilities of Windows 8 devices, workers may actually be rendered totally unproductive because of a driver issue that today would just be a nuisance. This is a potentially massive hit not only to worker productivity, but demand on IT for desktop support.
3. Windows applications have to catch up - The software industry has a lot of learning and then a lot of work to do. There will therefore be a big gap in time between Windows 8 being released for sale and software being properly developed for Windows 8's new capabilities. There is a whole new world of Metro for software manufacturers to learn. We will all have to implement Metro-based apps or portions of our apps properly into our products. Until Windows applications get a chance to mature on Metro though, it could be very hit-and-miss in terms of the overuse and misuse of Metro, which could cause potential reliability and productivity issues. ISVs have had a heck of a time getting updated to the Vista/7 platform. The good news is that those apps should run fine on Windows 8, however they will be conventional Windows desktop only and not Metro-enabled. That being the case, why deploy Windows 8?
4. "Dear Helpdesk, how do I turn off my computer?" - User training and acceptance is a massive consideration. I only listed it fourth because if you don't have a device to install an OS, stable drivers to run it properly, and apps to run on the OS, you wouldn't put it in front of people. Unlike the move from Windows 95 to XP to Vista to 7, Windows 8 is not just a different looking start menu: there is no start menu. You no longer access the start menu to shut down. In fact, there is no default shut down option displayed on the UI when the user is logged in. These seemingly very small things can be a huge disruption for even tech savvy end users. The better bet is to let users educate themselves through a few years of use on their own at home and then capitalize on this user-funded training to introduce the device at work.
5. Consumerization security, and the network edge - On the surface Windows 8 looks and behaves like a consumer product and you better believe the early success of Windows 8 will be with consumers. Everyone has taken their iPads to work and Microsoft expects you to do the same with a very capable Windows 8 slate device. This is tricky because individuals' decision to work from a Windows 8 slate is out of a CIO's control. The upside is that since it is a Windows device, it is much more manageable than non-Windows devices. At a minimum, any consumerization or de-perimeterization initiatives need to be driven by carefully conceived IT policy.
6. Tick-tock but not of the clock - There are releases of Windows that overhaul the entire code base (the so-called "tick" such as Windows 95 and Windows Vista) and there are releases that build off of or extend an existing core code base (the "tock" like Windows XP and Windows 7). Technically, Windows 8 is a tick release, which most organizations wait until at least the first Service Pack to implement, if they implement it at all.
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7. Migration, again - Since it took so incredibly long to get to Windows 7, what is the organization's tolerance to undertake another migration? Is IT prepared to jump into it? Have you evaluated all of the facets and ramifications? What projects are waiting and will be postponed if you move to Windows 8? Do you have the resources for another migration? Will you see an ROI with yet another migration so soon? Most organizations are suffering from "migration fatigue" and don't have the energy, and ultimately lack the cumulative political will to undertake the entire process again.
8. The unknown - The last, but most important, reason not to race to Windows 8 is that no one knows what Windows 8 will really be when it is released. We have a very, very early release of the product, which was really only provided to get the ecosystem of hardware OEMs and ISVs, a group Microsoft depends upon to make Windows successful, working on making their products work properly with Windows 8. There is a whole flywheel that has to get spun up for Windows to be successful. If you choose to be a part of that spin up, expect it to consume a lot of time and money as you join the OEMs and ISVs who are developing and refining products and tools to run on this exciting new platform.
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Comments
Barry Angell said: It has been argued that Windows 8 has the potential to bridge the gap between the mobile and desktop environment and is a sign of Microsoft rising to the challenge laid down by its competitors Yet with doubt increasingly surrounding the debate of Windows 8s enterprise suitability there is a real danger that Windows 8 wont be adopted by the majority of large enterprises There are of course many enterprises that have already started the migration process from XP to Windows 7 with a completion date pencilled in for before the end of life of XP in 2014 Yet with many organisations only enacting desktop transformation plans now general migration fatigue could prove a huge stumbling block in the uptake of Windows 8 on corporate PCs At Juriba our experience suggests that in the largest accounts Windows 7 is seen as the only option for desktop transformation and to find additional budget for another migration straight after Windows 7 is going to be a challenge for even the most entrepreneurial of CIOsSupporters of Cloud Computing and the well-regarded Azure platform might suggest a superficially attractive end-run to the whole XP-Vista-7-8 chain with a mass move to a virtual desktop This could well work for some parts of an enterprise but as IT managers will know not every enduser is a good virtual candidate and a one-size-fits-all Cloud solution for allquarters of a large enterprise is simply not a viable option This gives credence to arising suggestions of organisations delaying the migration for a few years and allowing their users to familiarise themselves at home with Windows 8 due to the considerable paradigm shift involved With the risks associated with this paradigm shift enterprises may consider whether the sensible cost effective alternative is to bypass Windows 8 altogether and waiting for its successorIn fairness Windows 8 wont suffer from the technical issues that hampered Vista But the real issue for Windows 8 isnt any technical shortcomings but its emphasis on the mobile platform To illustrate a new interface which puts a heavy emphasis on touchscreen use and sharing content with friends a built-in universal search facility for documents social networks and applications and so on are excellent features but may have only limited relevance to the enterprise market and this may justify a bit more sweating of the XP Vista and increasingly 7 assetsIn this respect Microsoft is a victim of its own success due to the strength of Windows XP only now are organisations drawing up any serious plans for Windows 7 as I mentioned above Hence at Juriba we believe that not enough of the market has transitioned to Windows 7 to make a smooth upgrade path to 8 that convincing a scenarioYet for organisations who have not yet carried out their migrations to Windows 7 of which there are many further delaying and a philosophy of waiting for what Microsoft will do next means flirting ever-more dangerously with the rapidly-approaching 2014 end of support clock Even if your users are perfectly happy XP users it would be foolhardy to further ignore this encroaching deadline Windows 7 is an excellent OS that will present the very best platform for 8 9 and beyond A jump from XP to 8 will be too big a migration to manage effectively with such little time available and you may limit your options needlessly as a resultSitting on XP made economic sense bypassing 7 and possibly even 8 does notBarry AngellDirectorJuribawwwjuribacomIf you would like to get further involved in Windows desktop transformation discussions then I would encourage you to join this LinkedIn group httpwwwlinkedincomgroups