Windows 8 never achieved the kind of market success that Microsoft had hoped for, but when it came to business and enterprise adoption, the OS was an unmitigated flop. There were certainly examples of companies moving from Windows XP or Windows 7 to 8 or 8.1, but for the most part, businesses shunned Microsoft's modern operating systems.
With Windows 10, Microsoft needs that to change. The consumer market is certainly important, but business and enterprise are where Microsoft makes its big bucks. Now, just two weeks after the new OS officially launched, there are promising signs that it might just have what it takes to win over business customers.
In an interview with Information Week, Bank of America's chief technology officer, David Reilly, said that the company is planning an 'enterprise-wide' migration to Windows 10 - and it sounds like he's enthusiastic about the prospect. "We're looking to adopt as early as we can," he said.
Like many other large corporations, BoA completely ignored Windows 8 and 8.1, leaving all of its systems on Windows 7. But Reilly praised the upgrade path to Windows 10, complimenting Microsoft for making the transition easy, and said that this was a factor in the bank's decision to adopt the new OS as soon as possible.
He explained that another reason BoA likes Windows 10 is that it offers the same user experience across devices, saying: "That's an opportunity we'd really like to take advantage of, if we can."
Work is already ongoing within the company to prepare for its Windows 10 deployment, including the participation of senior executives. Half of the company's business leadership team have already been upgraded to Windows 10, with the other half still on Windows 7, allowing managers to compare the old and new, to help identify further areas for improvement.
As Reilly points out, BoA has to create a custom build of Windows 10, integrating with its own security systems, which will need to be exhaustively tested to ensure that company data remains protected. It's hoped that this will be completed by November for beta testing, before the rollout begins later. BoA plans to phase in the upgrade in waves, and will allow any employees who want to upgrade early to do so.
Bank of America's decision to upgrade to Windows 10 is, of course, just one example, but it's a big one. The company is one of the largest in the US, and employs over 200,000 people, which represents quite a significant deal for Microsoft.
But while BoA's enthusiasm for Windows 10 certainly appears to bode well for the new operating system's chances in the business sector - it's early days, and Microsoft still has a lot of work to do.
Source: Information Week
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