AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwired - Jul 20, 2016) - Spiceworks, the professional network for IT, today announced the results of a new survey exploring organizations' adoption of Windows 10, perceptions of the new features, and the biggest benefits and challenges experienced in the first year. The study "Windows 10 Adoption: Sprinting out of the Gate" found that as of June 30, 2016, 38 percent of organizations across the globe have adopted Windows 10, in line with the 40 percent adoption rate IT professionals predicted in June 2015. The highest adoption rates were found in North America (39 percent), in companies with more than 250 employees (51 percent), and in the software, manufacturing, and construction industries.
The results also revealed 85 percent of companies that have implemented Windows 10 are generally satisfied with the OS and 51 percent are very or extremely satisfied. However, when IT professionals were asked which OS their end users are most satisfied with, Windows 7 leads at 69 percent compared to Windows 10 at 17 percent.
"We're rolling out Windows 10 on our new devices and upgrading a majority of our existing devices, and the biggest benefit so far has been the overall speed and performance of the OS," said Joe Kinne, IT manager at Prime Electric. "At first, our end users were reluctant to give up a system they already know and like, but they quickly caught on and adapted really well once they began to try the new features and realize the improvements."
Organizations satisfied with Windows 10 despite initial challenges
Among organizations using Windows 10, 58 percent are actively implementing the OS on end user devices and 42 percent are still in the testing phase. Organizations in the implementation phase are primarily running Windows 10 on their laptops and desktops at 92 and 87 percent respectively, but nearly 40 percent are running the OS on tablets and 10 percent are running it on Windows smartphones.
In terms of the top reasons organizations are implementing Windows 10, 66 percent said the free upgrade was the biggest driver. Forty-nine percent upgraded for the improved performance, 48 percent upgraded due to the end-of-life of older operating systems, and 43 percent upgraded for the new features and functionality. The top features that led organizations to implement the OS include the return of the start menu, enhanced security, a faster update cycle, and better integration with cloud services like OneDrive.
However, many IT professionals had to overcome a few challenges before their organizations could realize the benefits of Windows 10. Compatibility issues with hardware and software top the list of challenges experienced at 56 percent, followed by the time required for the upgrade process at 45 percent, the lack of control over Windows updates at 37 percent, and bugs in early releases at 32 percent.
Windows 10 viewed as strong successor to Windows 8 and Windows 7
When comparing Windows 10 to previous versions of the OS, a majority of IT professionals believe, with the exception of data privacy guarantees, Windows 10 is a major improvement from Windows 8 across all metrics, including a better start menu, performance, implementation, security, and more.
Additionally, a majority of IT professionals said when comparing Windows 10 to Windows 7, they saw improved performance, security, and flexibility across devices as well as improvements to the start menu. However, IT professionals saw little difference between Windows 7 and Windows 10 when evaluated in terms of implementation, cost-effectiveness, management, compatibility, and the presence of bugs. And when it comes to data privacy guarantees, many IT professionals believe Windows 7 is the better option.
Companies satisfied with their current OS are less motivated to upgrade
Despite improved features and functionality, 62 percent of organizations have not adopted Windows 10. Nearly 70 percent of survey respondents who have not adopted Windows 10 said they haven't deployed the OS because they're satisfied with their current operating systems. Forty-seven percent haven't adopted Windows 10 due to compatibility issues with hardware and software, 36 percent said they were concerned about the lack of control over Windows updates, and 36 percent were concerned with bugs in early releases.
However, among those that do plan to adopt Windows 10, 11 percent plan to within the next 12 months, an additional 22 percent plan to in one to two years, and 16 percent plan to within two or more years. Forty-two percent of organizations that have not adopted Windows 10 said they have no plans to in the foreseeable future.
"We know end of life is often the number one driver of new tech purchases so it's not surprising to see some companies are waiting to upgrade," said Sanjay Castelino, VP of Marketing at Spiceworks. "Although they may recognize the benefits of Windows 10, some IT professionals aren't as motivated to change if they already have a proven solution in place."
Methodology
Windows 10 adoption rates were collected on June 30, 2016 and are based on anonymized, aggregated technology usage data from IT professionals across the globe in Spiceworks. Technology usage data was supplemented with survey data collected in May 2016, which included 866 respondents from North America and EMEA. Respondents represent a variety of company sizes, including small-to-medium-sized businesses and enterprises, and come from a variety of industries including manufacturing, healthcare, non-profits, education, government, and finance. For more information and a complete list of survey results, visit https://www.spiceworks.com/it-articles/windows-10-adoption/.
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Spiceworks' Voice of IT shares statistics, trends, and opinions collected from millions of IT professionals on the global technology issues that are important to them.
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