By Chuck Brown, Fiberlink.

Relax, this won’t be one of those geeky articles with bits and bytes, and overly-complicated technical jargon. I want to share real-life observations about buying a computer, and describe how it relates to the business community. 

Take a moment and go to dell.com or hp.com to look for a new laptop. What do you see?  Most laptops and desktops are now being pre-equipped with the 64-bit version of Windows 7. Even the “low end” Dells (under $600) are using it.  It’s hard to even find the old 32-bit version. 

Why the change?   There are a number of reasons from both a technological and business perspective.

First, Windows 7 is now generally available.  The latest OS offering by Microsoft is getting good reviews from the business and retail users, something that was not seen with the rollout of the previous OS version, Vista. 

Second, prices for laptops and desktops have been decreasing.  Chip and memory manufactures are providing more memory and faster CPUs at a reasonable price, contributing once again to the validity of Moore’s Law. 

Third, timing is everything.  Based on previous economic and technical conditions, organizations were keeping their existing hardware and software as long as they could.  There were not happy with Vista and certainly wanted to save on capex.  2010 is the year to make a move. 

A recent study conducted by CIOZone Research Network in December, 2009, of 212 worldwide enterprises found that:

 

  • 8% have already rolled out Windows 7.
  • 31% will have rolled out Windows 7 by the first half of 2010.
  • 66% will have rolled out Windows 7 by end of 2010.

 

If you were the IT person making this decision, what would you do to make this transition the most cost effective and technologically advanced project you have worked on?  Simple. Migrate to the 64 bit version of Windows 7-it’s faster, better and cheaper.

Companies have held on to hardware longer than their previous lifecycle. It is now time to replace that old, worn out hardware.  With the new hardware, you’ll need a new operating system image. These are costs you are going to have to stand before the CFO and explain. 

Explain how you’re going to get the biggest bang for the buck by choosing new hardware with Windows 7, 64-bit.  Tell him or her that the end user will be happy because their machines will be faster and more productive.  You can still run most (if not all) of your 32-bit application software on the 64-bit version, and you may be able to extend the life of the hardware an extra year or two.  This will change the depreciation calculations and can decrease overall long term capital expenditures.

Your company is also strategically positioned to accept and use updated applications when those vendors move from native 32- to 64-bit.

What does this mean to providers of software and services? 

We have to be prepared to state that our software, today, installs runs and functions properly on Windows 7, 64-bit version. We don’t have to re-write our application as a native 64-bit application since it does need too many resources, but we have to make sure that it runs fast and does what it is suppose to do. 

To answer the question at the beginning of this article, yes, the 32 bit version of the Windows operating system does have a limited shelf life, as a matter of fact it is probably past its expiration date.