Use IT to Soar Past Your Competitors!

by | Nov/14/2013

If you are like most organizations, your company would suffer big time if your technology ground to a halt. But avoiding Windows 8.1 – especially if you still use XP – is a big mistake that you want your competitors to make…

This is a follow-on from last week’s blog (Do NOT Upgrade to Windows 7!). You are right: Microsoft will announce that they support Windows 7 for years, but it is naive to think that they will assign their most talented engineers to 7 instead of Windows 8.1.

But the leap from XP to Windows 8.1 is terrifying for IT pros. Petrifying. Perhaps spine-chilling for some! They want your systems to stay up and running at all costs! I’m the first to say that production always comes before security. I want the best for you. That’s why you need to at least give Windows 8.1 a try.

And “do not let a heart surgeon do brain surgery.” If your IT pros aren’t experienced with Windows 8.1, outsource this project to some who are.

What if Windows 8 is not stable? It is stable.

What about the goofy new interface? Skip it. Put users into “Desktop Mode” on boot-up and Windows 8.1 will look just like Windows 7 if you challenge your IT Pros to configure Windows 8.1 that way.

What about your old computers that control your electron microscopes, machinery, your shipping system, and maybe even your banking software? Don’t upgrade those computers.

Are you planning to move to Windows 7 for now and upgrade to Windows 8 later? You’ll maybe postpone that upgrade for years – just like your competitors. XP was released in 2001.

If you fail to test your applications using Windows 8.1 on at least one computer, that will be a huge mistake. Tell IT to don their Indiana Jones hat and look forward to the adventure of putting Windows 8.1 through its paces. Stay with the operating system into which Microsoft is pouring their best people and money!

Think out of the box! Get ahead of your competitors!