BOSTON, MA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/29/07 -- The upcoming 2007 Aberdeen Report reveals that 25% of the 3,170 businesses participating in the global survey indicated that their organization would likely migrate to Vista sometime in calendar 2007.

The unforecastable component in the rate of adoption of Vista within these organization hinges, in part, on the stability of the release. Currently, support organizations in China are reporting a 30% spike in service calls relating to the new operating environment. Early adoption appears to be more prolific in small businesses (under $50M) where 40% indicated that they have or will upgrade to Vista sometime this year.

Joining small businesses in adopting the new operating system are the education and government sectors, with large corporations being notably absent. In general, Vista appears to lack the momentum that Microsoft had hoped for in its much heralded release. Specific observations stemming from this topic in the Aberdeen Report include:

--  Industry: Only 1.5 percent of Computer Equipment and Peripherals
    companies plan to adopt Vista in 2007.

--  Geography: 18 percent of European companies plan to upgrade to Vista
    in 2007, well below the 25 percent global average.

--  Job Function: 89 percent of Finance/Accounting Managers in decision-
    making positions rejected the notion of a Vista upgrade in 2007.
    

In making a business case for immediate Vista adoption, Microsoft will have to convince prospects that the operating system can contribute to a company's return on investment (ROI), and is reasonably bug-free. These concerns were foremost on the minds of several Aberdeen Report respondents. "Although [Vista] file access will be more efficient, it won't bring any near-term ROI," claims Bob Newman, President of Technovisor. "I don't want to implement a system that doesn't have all the bugs worked out," explains Kerry Durham, IT Manager for Burks & Associates.

If there is a silver lining for Microsoft in the Aberdeen Report's findings, it rests in the fact that users identified desktop applications such as Microsoft Office as being the most impactful technologies on their organization over the past two years, nudging out Enterprise Resource Planning solutions (31% vs. 29%). "Regardless of comments and criticism associated with stability, security and user interface design, Microsoft's desktop and productivity offerings remain indispensable to the majority of users," explains Peter Kastner, Research Director, Information Technology at Aberdeen.

The data points referenced herein are part of the 2007 Aberdeen Report, scheduled for release next month (April, 2007). Spanning five years, two million respondents, and over 644,000 organizations, the Aberdeen Report is one of the deepest available research documents on the state of technology and business. The first in a series of annual reports by the Aberdeen Group, the research looks at industry, geography, organizational size, and role across various business drivers and outcomes. The $1,995 report will be made available free of charge to the first 2500 registrants. End users may pre-register for their complimentary copy at http://www.aberdeen.com/2-0/pre_registration.asp

About AberdeenGroup, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.

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Media Contact:
Stephen Gold
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(925)264.1840
Stephen.gold@aberdeen.com