Vista now, Windows 7 later? Or just plain Windows 7 later? That's the question many enterprises are wrestling with these days, and it's no secret that many plan to take the latter route.

Whatever you decide, make it snappy. That's the word from Network World's John Fontana, who reminds IT pros that Microsoft has a timetable for ending Windows XP support, and that application vendors may halt their own support and product upgrades for the aging OS.

Fontana also quotes research analysts who state that leap-frogging Vista isn't the best idea:

"If you are on XP, Windows 7 isn't going to solve a lot of Vista's migration problems," says Brett Waldman, a research analyst for IDC. "Going from Vista to Windows 7 should be a much easier transition than XP to 7."

Ultimately, Gartner VP Michael Silver advises organizations to "be off XP" by the end of 2012. Given that it usually takes 12-18 months for large corporations to test and pilot a new OS, that means "the migration clock is ticking."

It's also worth noting that mainstream support for XP ended two months ago, which should drive even more consumers to adopt Vista (at least until Windows 7 ships). Those who do will need less training at work and will be more insistent on having the same OS as they do at home.

What are your thoughts? Have your migration plans accounted for the potential end of product support from Microsoft and ISVs? Sound off in the comments.

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