LONDON – July 20, 2016 – Spiceworks, the professional network for IT, today announced the results of a new survey exploring organisations’ adoption of Windows 10, perceptions of the new features, and the biggest benefits and challenges experienced in the first year. The study “Windows 10 Adoption: Sprinting out of the Gate” found that as of June 30, 2016, 39 percent of organisations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) have adopted Windows 10, in line with the 40 percent adoption rate IT professionals predicted in June 2015. The highest adoption rates were found in companies with more than 250 employees (51 percent), and in the software, manufacturing, and energy industries.
The results also revealed 84 percent of EMEA companies that have implemented Windows 10 are generally satisfied with the OS and 48 percent are very or extremely satisfied. However, when IT professionals in EMEA were asked which OS their end users are most satisfied with, Windows 7 leads at 64 percent compared to Windows 10 at 18 percent.
Organisations satisfied with Windows 10 despite initial challenges
Among organisations using Windows 10, 58 percent are actively implementing the OS on end user devices and 42 percent are still in the testing phase. EMEA organisations in the implementation phase are primarily running Windows 10 on their laptops and desktops at 91 and 85 percent respectively, but one in three are running the OS on tablets and 14 percent are running it on Windows smartphones. Notably, more organisations in North America are running Windows 10 on tablets compared to EMEA companies. However, twice as many companies in EMEA are running the OS on Windows smartphones.
In terms of the top reasons organisations in EMEA are implementing Windows 10, 63 percent said the free upgrade was the biggest driver. Nearly half of respondents upgraded for the improved performance, due to the end-of-life of older operating systems, or for the new features and functionality. Twenty-eight percent of EMEA organisations upgraded to Windows 10 due to security requirements, which drove twice as many companies in EMEA to upgrade compared to North America.
Looking specifically at the top features that led organisations to implement the OS, the return of the start menu tops the list, followed by enhanced security, a faster update cycle, and better integration with cloud services like OneDrive. However, many IT professionals in EMEA had to overcome a few challenges before their organisations could realise the benefits of Windows 10. Compatibility issues with hardware and software top the list of challenges experienced at 56 percent, followed by the time required for the upgrade process at 45 percent, the lack of control over Windows updates at 39 percent, and bugs in early releases at 36 percent.
Windows 10 viewed as strong successor to Windows 8 and Windows 7
When comparing Windows 10 to previous versions of the OS, a majority of IT professionals believe, with the exception of data privacy guarantees, Windows 10 is a major improvement from Windows 8 across all metrics, including a better start menu, performance, implementation, security, and more.
Additionally, a majority of IT professionals said when comparing Windows 10 to Windows 7, they saw improved performance, security, and flexibility across devices as well as improvements to the start menu. However, IT professionals saw little difference between Windows 7 and Windows 10 when evaluated in terms of implementation, cost-effectiveness, management, compatibility, and the presence of bugs. And when it comes to data privacy guarantees, many IT professionals believe Windows 7 is the better option.
Companies satisfied with their current OS are less motivated to upgrade
Despite improved features and functionality, 61 percent of organisations in EMEA have not adopted Windows 10. Sixty-five percent of EMEA respondents who have not adopted Windows 10 said they haven’t deployed the OS because they’re satisfied with their current operating systems. Fifty-four percent haven’t adopted Windows 10 due to compatibility issues with hardware and software, 38 percent said they were concerned about the lack of control over Windows updates, and 38 percent were concerned with bugs in early releases.
However, among EMEA organisations that do plan to adopt Windows 10, 12 percent plan to within the next 12 months, an additional 21 percent plan to in one to two years, and 22 percent plan to within two or more years. Thirty-seven percent of organisations that have not adopted Windows 10 said they have no plans to in the foreseeable future.
“We know security is often the most important IT initiative in organisations across EMEA so it’s not surprising to see that the enhanced security offered by Windows 10 is one of the biggest adoption drivers,” said John Webb, General Manager EMEA at Spiceworks. “But despite the new features and functionality in Windows 10, some organisations are satisfied with their current operating system and may wait to upgrade until its end of life.”
Methodology
Windows 10 adoption rates were collected on June 30, 2016 and are based on anonymised, aggregated technology usage data from IT professionals across the globe in Spiceworks. Technology usage data was supplemented with survey data collected in May 2016 which included 866 respondents from North America and EMEA. Respondents represent a variety of company sizes including small-to-medium-sized businesses and enterprises, and come from a variety of industries including manufacturing, healthcare, non-profits, education, government, and finance. For more information and a complete list of survey results, visit https://www.spiceworks.com/it-articles/windows-10-adoption/.
About Spiceworks Voice of IT
Spiceworks’ Voice of IT shares statistics, trends, and opinions collected from millions of IT professionals on the global technology issues that are important to them.
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