CDW: 35% of Organizations Going Vista

HILLS, Ill. –– CDW Corporation, a leading provider of technology products and services to business, government and education, today announced the findings of the third Windows Vista Tracking Poll. The final phase of the year-long study finds Windows Vista gaining traction in the mainstream business market, with 48 percent of respondents stating that their organization is using or evaluating Windows Vista – up from 29 percent in the previous poll taken in February 2007 and from 12 percent in the first poll taken in October 2006.

In addition to evaluation and testing – critical elements of implementing any new hardware or software solution in the business environment – actual Windows Vista adoption has also increased over the same period. Of those respondents evaluating or using it, 35 percent are in some stage of migration to Windows Vista, up from 12 percent in the previous poll. Thirteen percent of implementations are complete, with an additional 33 percent planned for completion by May 2008.

Beyond adoption, nearly 50 percent of those evaluating and implementing Windows Vista rate its performance against the promise of key features and benefits as “above expectations,” with highest ratings on improvements in security, performance, productivity, search/organization and updates. This survey also found less concern about hardware requirements for Windows Vista than in the February 2007 survey, with only 27 percent of participants saying that hardware requirements are excessive, down from 37 percent.

“CDW’s third and final Windows Vista Tracking Poll concludes over a year of adaptation and learning for Microsoft, industry partners and adopters alike,” said Mark Gambill, CDW vice president. “Windows Vista is a multifaceted product that offers features and advantages to users with very diverse needs – a direct reflection of computing in today’s complex business world – and product perceptions have stabilized behind a steady move toward adoption.”

CDW Corp.