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Gartner predicts speedy migration to Windows 10

The prediction bolsters a recommendation by the ATMIA that ATM operators skip Windows versions 8 and 8.1 and jump ahead to Windows 10.

December 3, 2015

Windows 10 is poised to become the most widely installed version of Windows ever, following on the path of Windows XP and Windows 7 before it, according to Gartner Inc.

In a press release, the research specialist said that 50 percent of enterprises will have begun Windows 10 deployments by January 2017.

Several factors are driving migration, Gartner said, specifically:

• awareness of the end of support for Windows 7 in January 2020;
• strong compatibility with Windows 7 applications and devices; and
• a pent-up demand for tablet and 2-in-1 device rollouts.

The net result is that many enterprises are planning to begin pilots for Windows 10 in the first half of 2016, and to broaden their deployments in the latter part of the year, Gartner said.

Gartner expects that at least half of enterprises will have started some production deployments by the beginning of 2017, with an eye to completing their migrations in 2019.

An ATM Industry Association position paper published in June recommended that ATM deployers skip Windows 8 and 8.1 and migrate directly to Windows 10, citing reasons that include:

• increased protection against malware and other forms of cyberattack;
• avoidance of known issues with the Windows 8 platform;
• provision of periodic service packs for longer life; and
• accommodation of the new Microsoft philosophy of "a single Windows for everything" approach.