Windows Vista to drive IT in Florida

The IT industry in Florida is expected to experience a "significant financial impact" following the launch of Windows Vista, according to new IDC research commissioned by Microsoft.

IDC predicts that Florida's IT industry will see considerable increases in new jobs and revenue within the first year of the Vista launch.

The study indicated that Vista will provide a "foundation" for the IT market, and that more than 18 per cent of total IT employment in Florida will be related to Vista.

In addition, total Windows-related employment in Florida is expected to jump by more than 11,000 new jobs.

"Vista will create additional revenues for Microsoft in Florida, but will create even bigger economic ripples throughout the ecosystem that sells products and services that run on or work with the operating system," said John Gantz, chief research officer and senior vice president at IDC.

"Vista's footprint in the state will be wide, as original equipment manufacturers sell PCs that run on it, software companies sell applications that run on it, and services and distribution firms deliver, install, support and train on it.

"We expect that, in the first year of Vista shipments, this ecosystem will sell more than $4bn of Vista-related products and services in Florida."

The companies that sell hardware, write software, provide IT services or serve as IT distribution channels will also feel the impact of Vista because it will drive substantial revenue and growth for Microsoft-centric companies, the study found.

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