14 DAY TRIAL // End customers and corporate clients are not the sole focus of Microsoft when it comes down to marketing the next iteration of the Windows client. Last week, the Redmond company has, extremely quietly, rolled out the Windows 7 Small Business Ignite Program, according to ChannelWeb. Following the introduction, the software giant has been completely mute on the Windows 7 Small Business Ignite Program, with no details being served via official channels. Still, judging strictly by the label chosen, the Ignite program is designed to focus on small business customers, a segment that needs convincing to embrace Windows 7.
More specifically, Microsoft is targeting small businesses that have decided to skip Windows Vista altogether and wait for Windows 7. Of course, the conscious decision to fend off Vista because of the bad aura associated with the successor of Windows XP might have evolved in the necessity to also avoid Windows 7 due to IT spending cutbacks resulted as a consequence of the economic downturn. With Windows Vista Microsoft has to fight the shortcomings of the operating system along with the bad publicity generated for the platform. This time around, with Windows 7, the software giant will have to swim against the global economic tsunami, with many customers, including small businesses, deciding that a new operating system might not be at the top of their priority list.
With the Windows 7 Small Business Ignite Program, the Redmond company is trying to help not only itself, but also the partners focusing on this specific consumer segment. Via the initiative solution providers are reaching out to small businesses in an effort to parade the operating system ahead of finalization, in order to catalyze upgrades.
Microsoft has already confirmed that users running Vista and XP will be able to buy upgrade Windows 7 licenses. The company failed, even at this point in time, to specify whether this would also be the case for Windows 2000. Having since the early pre-Beta development milestone releases permitted access for partners to Windows 7, and having served Beta Build 7000 to the public at the start of January 2009, Microsoft is now also looking to attract small businesses to its next version of Windows.