In order to remain competitive, companies are increasingly weighing the cost advantages of migrating their existing UNIX server infrastructure to Microsoft Windows Server.

According to research firm IDC, Windows has captured 45 percent of UNIX migrations, making it the leading platform for UNIX migration overall (“Understanding UNIX Migration: A Demand-Side View,” January 2006, IDC). This was a factor contributing to the recent announcement from IDC that in 2005 worldwide revenues for Windows servers surpassed UNIX server revenues for the first time ever (IDC Press Release, “Worldwide Server Market Slows in 4th Quarter but Grows to $51.3 Billion in 2005, Highest Revenue in 5 Years, According to IDC,” February 22, 2006).

Now a new study by Mercer Management Consulting sheds light on what is driving this trend. Titled “Driving Lower TCO and Rapid ROI through UNIX Migrations,” the Microsoft-sponsored study finds that IT organizations are choosing Windows over Linux and other flavors of UNIX when migrating from UNIX servers as part of an effort to improve key business processes.

For more insight into the study and its findings, PressPass spoke with 12-year Mercer veteran John Wenstrup, a high-tech strategy consultant to the computing, storage, networking and IT services industries.