I noticed this piece on Slashdot which points out a marketing document on Microsoft's own website which is essentially an indictment of Windows XP. How to Justify a Desktop Upgrade attempts to explain why customers should upgrade to Vista. However, things go wrong when the author spends all of his or her time blasting XP.
The commentary on Slashdot reads...
"The most intriguing thing about this tutorial is its implicit rejection of Microsoft's older technology.. Just a few years ago Microsoft was pitching the world on how secure and cool XP was. Now it's telling us largely the opposite, implying that XP is a security threat, costs too much to run and so on. With Microsoft Marketing against itself, perhaps the Mac and Linux camps can simply wait for Microsoft to self-destruct?"
You know you've got a product mis-fire when your upgrade campaign is tantamount to a smear campaign against an earlier version (XP in this case). Shouldn't the top reason to switch be some new feature or new capability that everyone wants? Wouldn't most software companies offer the upgrade for free to paying customers if the new product simply fixed problems with the prior model?
In light of this it's not surprising then that Vista roll-outs are stymied even in light of recently announced Vista Service Pack 1. King Research recently completed a study (sponsored by KACE) that included interviews with almost 1200 IT professionals. The conclusion...? Less than 10% of companies surveyed ever expect to have Vista fully deployed... EVER. Whether XP, Vista, Windows 7, Mac, Linux or other, in the future they'll all run side-by-side in the enterprise. What a huge opportunity for companies like Apple who have mastered the art of delivering innovative products (e.g., iPhone, iMac, Mac Book) that businesses are clamoring to get their hands on -- not actively trying to avoid.
It's also an opportunity for companies like KACE. Our KBOX products help IT professionals save time and money managing Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh and Linux computers. Our products are innovative in terms of their ease-of-use qualities and affordable price point. And, that makes world-class systems management accessible for companies of all sizes. Moreover, our products continue to evolve and expand offering our new and existing customers the best systems management solution in a package that keeps getting better over time (without a Microsoft-style "buy-it-again" upgrade required).
I invite you to visit our website and view our flash demonstration (click view demo at upper-right of this page). I guarantee that once you do, you'll recognize why KACE and our KBOX products are garnering so much attention in the market and winning prestigious awards such as Windows IT Pro Most Innovative Product, Gartner Cool Vendor, EMA Rising Star, Redmond Editor's Choice and Network World Top Company to Watch. And, if you're a skeptic, don't take it from us, our website features almost 30 customer testimonial videos that tell the story like we never could on our own.
