Study Says Windows 7 Cuts SMB IT Costs

The automation and other new features in Win7 mean fewer headaches for IT staffs and less downtime for users, IDC says, and that means lower over-all costs for IT.

"Small and midsize businesses that upgrade their PCs to Windows 7 can cut their support costs by 50% or more and save up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process, according to a newly released study by IDC.

'Businesses with 250 or fewer PCs that are deploying Windows 7 are gaining more than happier users,' the study's authors wrote. 'They are lowering support costs, improving security, and making end users more productive,' they said."