There’s quite a bit of buzz out there about Microsoft’s newest Windows 7 operating system. You’ve probably heard it’s easier to use, more stable and secure, and packs a bunch of productivity features right out of the box. But you’ve been running Windows XP (with not much drama, you might add) since 2001, and keep wondering just why you’re supposed to switch. You obviously don’t have to. Although Microsoft will start significantly scaling back support for Windows XP in 2010, your PC will work just fine. There are, however, some things about Windows 7 that may make it worth it for a small/medium business like yours to upgrade:

• Decreased boot time: If you’ve been running Windows XP (or worse, Vista) for a while, you probably have a morning ritual of turning on your machine and going to get some coffee while it boots up. Some of our clients can squeeze in a budget review meeting as well. Windows 7 can help put an end to that, with the average machine booting up in under 60 seconds.

• Better performance: When booted up, Windows 7 is also less busy with the processor and RAM  (if you’ve ever run Windows Vista, you’ve probably at some point felt like your machine is looking for a cure for cancer when you’re just reading email). It accomplishes this by only running speed-sapping background services when you need them and running leaner overall. Windows 7 is also quicker at discovering your USB devices and connecting to your wireless networks than either XP or Vista were.
• Better search: you can also save a lot of time searching for things on your PC. In Windows 7, when you start typing into the Start menu search box, you’ll instantly see a list of relevant documents, pictures, music and email on your machine. Results are now grouped by category and contain highlighted keywords and text snippets to make them easier to scan. You can even do this with attached storage (like external hard drives and USB drives) and networked computers.
• Snap is Windows 7’s new way to resize and compare windows on your desktop. With many of you now working on nice new widescreen LCD monitors, this feature lets you easily arrange two documents side by side so it’s easier to multitask. This is the closest you’ll get to a two-screen setup without actually getting a second monitor.
• Location-Aware Printing is a cool feature that remembers which printer you use with what network when you travel from home to office with your laptop.
• It’s not obnoxious like Windows Vista was with all the security notifications, “are you really-really sure?” questions, dimming of the screen and such. Windows 7 still has Windows Defender, a solid firewall (now with multi-location policies) and other security features, but it doesn’t feel compelled to ask your permission to run Notepad.
• Better power management: This is important for you laptop-toting professionals. Windows 7 runs fewer background activities so your PC processor doesn’t work as hard and draws less power. Other innovations include less power-hungry DVD playback (handy on long flights), automatic screen dimming, powering off unused ports, and a more accurate battery-life indicator.

Windows 7 also features a much improved, more convenient and better-looking user interface and a host of entertainment-focused improvements but chances are that won’t drive your decision to upgrade your business PCs. You can find a complete list of Windows 7 features here.

Want to know more about Windows 7 or ways to upgrade? Get in touch with your IT MAX Consultant or call 888-77-ITMAX.