Microsoft is encouraging its partners to do more to help SMEs purchase the most appropriate version of Windows Vista.

The software giant claims that 60 per cent of UK SMEs will potentially buy the wrong operating system for their needs in its next fiscal year, which it highlighted as a key concern at its recent quarterly partner briefing.

It estimated that 2.6 million PCs will be refreshed in the SME space over the next 12 months.

The vendor has unveiled plans to produce ‘which version’ collateral for its resellers and system builders and point of sale (POS) telesales cheat sheets to help them advise customers in selecting the right version.

Aileen Hannah, Windows Business Group Microsoft UK told CRN: “In many cases, customers are unaware of different versions of the Windows OS. This means that they will either find that their PC can not perform some tasks that they expected it to or that they are missing out on a functionality that could help with business challenges.

“The Business and Ultimate versions are slightly more expensive, meaning that the partner can make incremental margin by selling these versions in the short term. For customers with more than one PC, the Business and Ultimate SKUs allow network access, so there is also a server opportunity which delivers more revenue.”

Microsoft also recently built the Microsoft Better Business website to educate SMEs about the options for their business, which then points them in the direction of Microsoft’s partners.