News
Active Directory Still Blocking Move to Windows 2000
Dragging your feet on a Windows 2000 server deployment? You’re not alone, according to a new study from market researchers at IDC.
- By Scott Bekker
- 03/21/2002
Rolling out Win2K Active Directory continues to serve as a major roadblock
for organizations in getting to Win2K, and that new directory service
technology may be keeping those organizations from even considering moves
to subsequent operating systems such as Windows XP clients and the forthcoming
Windows .NET servers, IDC found in a survey of more than 300 IT managers.
“Most Microsoft customers will continue to follow the Windows roadmap,
with broad plans for Active Directory deployment,” says Al Gillen, research
director for IDC’s Operating Environments service. “However, users say
their movement to Microsoft’s latest operating systems will proceed on
their schedule, not on Microsoft’s schedule.”
Three quarters of the respondents said that less than half of their server
systems have been updated or deployed new with Win2K, Gillen says. “Probably
only a third of the systems out there are Windows 2000,” Gillen estimates.
A disproportionate number of the most comprehensive deployments appeared
in smaller shops, the IDC survey showed.
Of the respondents, IT managers known to have Windows NT or Win2K installed,
36 percent said they delayed their Win2K rollouts because of complexity
associated with AD.
As for licensing, IDC’s survey indicated that Microsoft’s controversial
Licensing 6.0 program isn’t having a major effect on IT manager’s rollout
plans. However, a notable percentage is angry over the increased cost
of the revised software licensing. About 15 percent of respondents said
Licensing 6.0 gave them an incentive to seek alternative products.
But Gillen says, “The bigger picture shows that few customers will be
replacing their Microsoft technology with alternate products over the
short term, so competitive products need to continue to offer a strong
story of interoperability with Microsoft environments.”
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.