Network Security, Security Strategy, Plan, Budget

Windows 10 free upgrades end today, many upgrading ‘due to security’

Today sees the end of free upgrades to Windows 10. Security requirements drove twice as many organisations in EMEA (28 percent) to upgrade to Windows 10 compared to North America (14 percent).

Spiceworks surveyed nearly 900 IT pros in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) to learn how various organisations have adopted Windows 10 and its new features.

The data shows that 38 percent of organisations around the world have adopted Windows 10 since it's release on 29 July 2015—pretty darn close to the 40 percent adoption rate that IT pros predicted back in 2015. 

Almost all (85 percent) companies that have adopted Windows 10 are reported to be generally satisfied. Nearly half (51 percent) are very or extremely satisfied. However, the honour of crowd favourite goes to Windows 7, having the highest end-user satisfaction and leading Windows 10 (69 percent to 17 percent).

When comparing Windows 10 to Windows 7, EMEA respondents stated that the security (65 percent), performance (71 percent) prevalence of bugs (24 percent) and data privacy guarantees (22 percent) in W10 is better than that of W7.

Top features that led organisations to adopt Windows 10 in EMEA were return of the start menu (65 percent), enhanced security (60 percent), faster update cycle (43 percent) and better integration with cloud services (35 percent).

Some features that brought on satisfaction with Windows 10 in EMEA were return of the start menu (89 percent), enhanced security (86 percent), faster update cycle (76 percent), better integration with cloud services (51 percent), and facial recognition/biometrics (24 percent).

Top challenges experienced by organisations when implementing Windows 10 included compatibility with hardware/software (56 percent in EMEA) and the time required for upgrade process (45 percent in EMEA). Only 36 percent of organisations in EMEA experienced bugs in the early releases.

An IT pro respondent said, “Our end users were skeptical at first, but very quickly caught on and adapted really well.”

Adoption rates amongst EMEA organisations currently sit at 39 percent. Of those who have not adopted Windows 10, 65 percent of EMEA respondents said they hadn't done so because they were content with their current operating systems.

Nearly two thirds (63 percent) of IT pros in the EMEA said the free upgrade was the biggest driver for implementation of W10. Improved performance (46 percent), end of life/support (46 percent), new features/functionality (46 percent), new device types (33 percent) and security requirements (28 percent) were other drivers for implementation.

In emailed commentary to SCmagazineUK.com, John Webb, general manager EMEA at Spiceworks said, “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. 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.” 

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