Microsoft to push migration message to Windows 7 users

Microsoft has told its channel partners that those customers still on Windows 7 need to be targeted for upgrading to its latest OS and has advised resellers to start banging the drum around the forthcoming end of support deadline.

One of the sessions at the vendor's Inspire event taking place in Las Vegas this week included a look at migrating users from Windows 7 to 10.

Against a background of the need for more mobility with staff demanding more flexible and collaborative tools the vendor advised partners to renew the call for a move to Windows 10.

"Because of those reasons and more it's time to get to Windows 10 and modern commercial devices," said Louisa Gauthier, product and marketing leader at Microsoft. "The end of support is coming in 2020 and it's time to make the shift to 10."

Microsoft has put together a video encouraging users to move to a combination of Windows 10, more up-to-date hardware and Office 365. That campaigning to customers starts now and will run for the rest of the year promoting the benefits of a move. The message will change from January 2019 to contain more urgency about the looming support deadline in January 2020.

"Why is end of support so important for us? Because it is a huge opportunity to get your customers to modern. It is an opportunity estimated to be worth $100bn when you put together all the partner services, Office and solution opportunity over three years," she said.

The chances to pitch Windows 10 also existed across all customer sizes and segments. "If you were just to start with your customers that were on four year old plus devices the opportunities would be significant," said Gauthier.

"If your PC and software are more than four years old then it's time to move to a new Windows 10 device. Modern Windows devices are cheaper to manage and faster to run," she said.

When Microsoft quizzed users about why they had not migrated there were some concerns about app compatibility but many were simply happy sticking with the existing OS.

As a result the firm has been working on a value proposition that the channel can take out to those still clinging on to Windows 7. The pitch includes highlighting the security benefits, efficiency improvements and longer battery life and integration with existing infrastructure and apps.

The call to push Windows 10 comes after a successful launch of the latest OS with millions of users adopting the platform since it was first released just shy of three years ago, but 7 has continued to be popular with many users.