Microsoft banks on MDOP to hasten Windows 7 migration

MANILA, Philippines - Microsoft Corp. is banking on the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) to accelerate enterprises’ migration to Windows 7.

Five months after the global launch of Windows 7, Microsoft said it now corners 11 percent of the operating systems market worldwide. This huge market success notwithstanding, the largest chunk of the OS pie still belongs to Windows XP, which is still installed and running on 84 percent of the estimated 1.2 billion PCs in the world today.

Richard Francis, general manager of Windows for Microsoft Asia-Pacific, said that in about 18 months, this is expected to change as most enterprises are now eyeing system migration.

Francis disclosed that 18 months is the average length of time most enterprises spend to completely migrate the entire organization to a new system.

“The bulk of this time is spent on application compatibility testing because organizations need to ensure that everything will work in the new system,” he said.

However, with MDOP, Microsoft claims that enterprises can cut back or reduce the time needed to implement desktop migration across the organization.

MDOP is a suite of six to seven different functions designed to help IT managers reduce complexity and cost of migration, accelerate software deployment, manage problems with applications and system components, including repairing of unbootable or locked-out systems, restoring lost data or removing malware from infected systems.

As a hosted service, the MDOP also eliminates the need for a large capital outlay needed to continuously meet or upgrade software, especially in very large firms. The package cost, however, varies from organization to organization as needs differ.

Francis disclosed that according to a study, an estimated 40 percent of office personnel now are using personal devices at work. These include cellphones, smartphones, BlackBerrys, netbooks, notebooks, tablet PCs, MP3 players and many others.

Integrating these into the office system without compromising on security and allowing a reasonable digital life for the workforce in aid of productivity is a huge challenge.

Now, more than ever, the need for application testing is also more felt as another study also revealed that for every 10,000 employees, there are roughly 1,000 applications being used or running across the enterprise.

“How does one company handle and manage all these challenges in an increasingly complex IT environment, Microsoft has the solution,” Francis said.

Microsoft has also been offering the Enterprise Agreement for years to ease the financial pain of OS or software upgrades for large companies, especially those who have 250 desktops or more.

The EA simplifies acquisition, licensing, management and upgrade of software installed in all company desktop PCs usually for a three-year period, with an option to pay annually.

With the MDOP tool and other creative packages, Francis said Microsoft is optimistic on the continued migration to and adoption of the Windows 7 platform globally and even in the Philippines, citing an IDC study projecting a 30 percent growth in PC shipments locally in the coming years.

Asked what factors may have influenced the success of Windows 7 in the market, Francis said one key driver is the perfect timing.

“Windows 7 came at a time when wireless broadband, data storage and other consumer devices are already widely available in the market and Windows 7 is just the right product for the time,” he said.

There is also the benefit of a newly reviving economy, he added.

The lifecycle of a PC is usually three to five years. When Windows 7 came in, the economy is already slowly improving and those that have delayed purchase of new machines are ready to embrace a new operating system to come with their new gadgets.

“The main driver is the consumer. They fuel market demand for IT products and services,” Francis said.

When consumers are driving the adoption rate for new systems and new applications, enterprises usually follow, albeit on a slower pace because of the complexity of the migration process. However, Microsoft is now making it easy for both large firms and SMEs to do this, starting with the MDOP tool.