Windows 7 – Identifying End of Support Opportunities

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Way back in 2009, when Microsoft released Windows 7, it promised to provide product support for 10 years.

The specific end of support day is January 14, 2020, enabling Microsoft to focus on “supporting newer technologies and great new experiences”.

Microsoft strongly recommends that you move to Windows 10 sometime before January 2020 to avoid a situation where you need service or support that is no longer available.

If you are a user, then clearly this is a wake-up call to plan your migration. And if you are in the business of delivering on those migration plans, this is great opportunity for you to drive revenues and add value for your clients.

According to Rhetorik research, more than 14,000 UK and Ireland sites (30%) of our NetFinder™ database are still using Windows 7.

Location, Location, Location
Sites in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland are most likely still to be using Windows 7, while on the mainland, sites in the Midlands, Scotland and Outer London are also relatively likely to be running the software.

Central London sites are ahead of the curve on average, but still contribute the second highest absolute number of sites running Win7, meaning there is opportunity across the country.

You can bank on it
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Public Sector (Government, Education and Healthcare) are significantly more likely than average to have machines running the older operating system. If public sector is your thing, there is good business to be had. And if it isn’t, maybe this is the chance you have been looking for to grow your revenues here.

More surprising is that Banking & Finance and Electronics & Electrical Industry sectors are also lagging the norm in upgrading to a newer system. So even if Public Sector isn’t your thing, don’t miss this opportunity to reach out to the sectors you do support.

Big is Beautiful
Perhaps you think only the smallest companies are lagging behind with Windows 10 migrations? If so, you’d wrong.

In fact, the reverse is true. Organisations with fewer than 50 employees on site are the most likely of all to have upgraded. This holds true even when Public Sector sites are removed from the equation.

The take-aways from this include:

  • the migration opportunity is substantial,
  • it cuts across industry sectors, with public sector lagging more than others
  • it exists throughout the UK and Ireland, with the island of Ireland and the Midlands lagging the most
  • larger sites are more likely still to be running Windows 7
  • Rhetorik’s NetFinder database can help you identify and prioritise targets for your migration sales and marketing campaign. Click here to learn more.

Meet The Author

Kevin Savage

Former VP of Sales & Marketing at Yankee Group with research expertise for the technology sector Previously: Successfully growing new data and analytics markets for CEB/Gartner as well as Communispace, Jupiter Research, Forrester Research.

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