CDW Corp., a provider of technology products and services to business, government and education, have announced the findings of the third Windows Vista Tracking Poll answered by 772 respondents. The final phase of the year-long study finds Windows Vista gaining traction in the mainstream business market, with 48 percent of respondents stating that their organization is using or evaluating Windows Vista - up from 29 percent in the previous poll taken in February 2007 and from 12 percent in the first poll taken in October 2006.

In addition to evaluation and testing - critical elements of implementing any new hardware or software solution in the business environment - actual Windows Vista adoption has also increased over the same period. Of those respondents evaluating or using it, 35 percent are in some stage of migration to Windows Vista, up from 12 percent in the previous poll. Thirteen percent of implementations are complete, with an additional 33 percent planned for completion by May 2008.

Beyond adoption, nearly 50 percent of those evaluating and implementing Windows Vista rate its performance against the promise of key features and benefits as "above expectations," with highest ratings on improvements in security, performance, productivity, search/organization and updates. This survey also found less concern about hardware requirements for Windows Vista than in the February 2007 survey, with only 27 percent of participants saying that hardware requirements are excessive, down from 37 percent.

"CDW's third and final Windows Vista Tracking Poll concludes over a year of adaptation and learning for Microsoft, industry partners and adopters alike," said Mark Gambill, CDW vice president. "Windows Vista is a multifaceted product that offers features and advantages to users with very diverse needs - a direct reflection of computing in today's complex business world - and product perceptions have stabilized behind a steady move toward adoption."

The CDW Windows Vista Tracking Poll also found a substantial increase in Microsoft Office 2007 adoption, with 24 percent of participants reporting that they have upgraded - up from just 6 percent in the February survey. Another 23 percent say they plan to upgrade to Office 2007, the vast majority of them within 12 months.

Walker Information, in collaboration with CDW Corporation, executed the third Windows Vista Tracking Poll between Oct. 31 and Nov. 7, 2007. Seven hundred seventy-two IT decision makers completed the survey, resulting in a margin of error of ±3.5 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence.

For a complete copy of the survey report, see www.cdw.com/ poll. ENS