Windows 7 migration scramble to strain IT budgets

Many firms will struggle to find the manpower and skills needed to migrate over to Windows 7, according to analyst firm Gartner.

In its latest report, Gartner argued that many enterprises have left themselves only a small window of opportunity to migrate from XP and 2000 to Windows 7, and consequently they face a struggle to find the necessary resources and skills.

Gartner warned that demand for IT personnel will exceed supply next year as firms clamour to upgrade to the new OS and new machines to run it on, adding that this will lead to higher service rates and, as a result, higher costs for firms.

"Whether replacing or upgrading PCs, it is clear that Windows 7 migration will have a noticeable impact on organisations' IT budgets," said Steve Kleynhans, research vice president at Gartner, explaining that the cost of upgrading hardware would be a significant one.

"Based on an accelerated upgrade, we expect that the proportion of the budget spent on PCs will need to increase between 20 per cent as a best-case scenario and 60 per cent at worst in 2011 and 2012," he added.

"Assuming that PCs account for 15 per cent of a typical IT budget, this means that this percentage will increase to 18 per cent (best case) and 24 per cent (worst case), which could have a profound effect on IT spending and on funding for associated projects during both those years."

The analyst firm is predicting a spike in spending in 2013 when swathes of firms realise that they are behind in migration.