“The key challenges to SMB adoption are fear of incompatibility with their existing software applications and limited time for employee or IT staff training,” he says.
But nearly three-quarters of SMBs say they plan to migrate, largely because of Windows 10’s improved security, performance and manageability, he adds. That’s the case at glassybaby, which makes and sells hand-blown votive candle holders and drinking glasses. The 20-year-old Seattle-based company has more than 400 employees across eight retail locations, as well as “hot shops” where glassblowers ply their craft.
In addition to employing iPad devices for point-of-sale and Macbooks in its marketing department, glassybaby uses 60 to 75 Windows PCs for its back-office and warehouse operations, says IT Manager Joshua Henry.
The company is still in the process of migrating from Windows 7 to 10, mostly by phasing out older Dell desktops in favor of new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptops. The biggest benefits: improved security and productivity, says Henry.
“Windows 10 definitely has better overall security features than Windows 7,” he says.
Along with Windows 10, glassybaby has also standardized on Outlook email, Office 365 and Microsoft StaffHub for managing employee schedules. These tools provide continuity and consistency across the company’s disparate locations, says Director of Partnership Development Victoria Fredman.
“Everybody has access to all the same documents and can use them at the same time,” she says. “It’s nice to have us all on the same page, so we’re not doing one thing in California, another in Washington, then changing it completely in Oregon.”
Windows 10 Takes Businesses to the Next Level
Gregg Rogers’ Golf Performance Centers have been helping duffers overcome the hitches in their backswings since 2007. Now, the Bellevue, Wash.-based business is using a homegrown Windows 10 app to do it.