On November 8th, 2006 Microsoft released “Vista”, their new PC operating system, to manufacturers. Following the manufacture release, Microsoft soon made the OS available to the general public and has been marketing their new baby ever since. Today we wish to focus on whether Microsoft Vista is right for your organization. To maintain scope, you should most likely eliminate the home versions of the OS, and consider only the Business & Enterprise versions for organizational implementation.
Since its release, Microsoft Vista has received mixed reviews at best, and the product continues to pose new challenges and questions for organizations everywhere. According to Small Business IT World, the new operating environment (including the new Office 2007) will cost your organization between $3,250 and $5,000 per user! These budget monies would normally be divided between Microsoft, PC & parts manufacturers, and internal salary costs covering your own, in-house upgrades. Is this number accurate? Personally, I believe it is.
Figuring all possible costs your organization may incur will help you to better answer the question; is Vista is worth…all the money…& all the hype? The answer to this question is going to vary from organization to organization of course, so to best serve your company, you’ll have to evaluate your specific need for the products. For example, since Innovative Software just upgraded all their Servers, PCs, and laptops, we would most likely face much less cost than organizations needing new equipment. Then again, if you’re in need of new equipment anyway, then this may be the perfect time for you to upgrade to Microsoft Vista and Microsoft Office 2007. Other considerations you may have include how the programs perform, and how much you’ll have to invest to get users properly trained. They will need training to be productive when using the completely revamped user interface.
In closing, the best way to draw conclusions for your specific situation is to assign professional IT staff the task of evaluating your environment. Your staff knows your environment, and will best be able to draft a proper audit that can coexist with your budget, providing the best fit for your organization’s unique needs.
