That's the not-so-surprising advice from research firm Gartner, which is urging companies still running Windows 7 to skip that OS's successor and move directly to Windows 10. That advice holds true even if the change of plans means additional delays.
Windows 10 will roll out on July 29. And while companies aren't likely to embrace it right away, Windows 8.1's lackluster reputation -- Gartner analyst Steve Kleynhans compared it to Windows Vista -- should persuade them to adopt WIndows 10 eventually.
"Windows 8.1 is no longer the right option for new enterprise deployment...," Kleynhans said in a report for clients. In an interview today, he was more blunt: "We've been waiting for the right moment to recommend this, to put a fork in [Windows 8.1]."
Here's more on Gartner's rationale for how companies should proceed:
This is not the first time Gartner has told clients to skip a Windows edition: It did much the same when Windows 7 launched five years ago. At the time, it suggested that companies drop plans to deploy Windows Vista in favor of a move to Windows 7.
With reports by Gregg Keizer at Computerworld.