Microsoft

Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system is still playing second fiddle to XP with business users, with more enterprises confessing to checking out the unreleased Windows 7 OS than its predecessor.

More than half (58 percent) of businesses using Microsoft technology are "exploiting" Windows XP compared to just 4 percent for Vista, according to the "reality checker" research by the Corporate IT Forum (Tif).

Tif's reality checker surveys help its members quickly compare the progress and position of their companies' IT against the technology choices of other members.

The group also found that 35 percent of organizations describe themselves as "not yet interested" in Vista.

The OS most people appear to be developing or piloting is Windows XP, with 12 percent of businesses saying they were doing so compared to 5 percent for Vista.

Interestingly more businesses said they're currently investigating or analyzing Microsoft's next scheduled OS, Windows 7 (30 percent), than Vista (14 percent).

In contrast, 7 percent of businesses even said they're still exploiting Windows 2000, although 19 percent said they are currently replacing or "sunsetting" it.

In April, research showed that Vista uptake among businesses was slow during 2007, although a quarter of businesses said they planned to upgrade in 2008.

The main reason given by Tif members for not moving to Vista was a lack of business requirement to do so.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 7, is having a similar battle with its predecessor, IE 6, with a fifth of respondents saying they're not yet interested in the newer version of the application.

Almost two-thirds of businesses surveyed (65 percent) said they are exploiting IE 6 compared to 4 percent for IE 7. However, 14 percent said they are currently piloting IE 7, with the same proportion using it in isolation.

Almost a quarter (23 percent) said they are analyzing and investigating IE 8, which is currently available in beta form.

Click here for the full results of the Tif reality checker survey.

Tim Ferguson of Silicon.com reported from London.