Microsoft wins either way when they recommend enterprises to make the jump to the latest version of their Windows operating system, touting that companies which do not migrate from Windows XP to Windows 7 or 8 could eventually end up spending more than three times the support costs, not to mention a far more dreaded result, that is being exposed to additional security risks. Microsoft has plans to discontinue support for Windows XP on April 8 2013, and just to illustrate their point, the cost of making the leap from Windows XP to Windows 7 or 8 would be approximately $95, and if you were not to migrate, it would be roughly $300.
Now where did this particular bit of comparison data come from? It hailed from a study by technology market researcher IDC, and Amrish Goyal, director, Windows Business Group at Microsoft, said, “This is an alarming situation as non-migration puts businesses at risk of security breaches and could potentially create a big dent to the company’s brand image.” Interestingly enough, Goyal noted that approximately 50% to 60% of the installed PC base in the enterprises still use Windows XP as their operating system of choice.