XP's popularity among consumers may lead to more employees choosing to work from home, despite some fears about security.
Consultancies are split on the corporate benefits of Windows XP, although many believe that its popularity among consumers will help staff to work from home.
"If you've got a really well-managed Windows NT 4.0 or 2000 deployment you're not going to get a benefit, but if you have 98, 95 or earlier you will," said Adrian Tatum, director of Microsoft alliance at Computacenter. "We are seeing customers deploying XP beta pilots and now installing release candidates. We're also seeing companies that were considering 2000 going straight to XP."
Tatum said that as well as offering improved reliability, excellent multimedia capabilities, a compatibility mode for older applications and customisable help, XP could also help create operating-system uniformity. "It may be the first operating system to break down the barrier between the operating system you have in the office and the one you have at home. Once users get used to the ease of use of XP, they will push IT departments in-house to have the same facilities."
David Hughes, head of technology risk consulting at professional services giant Andersen, said XP may not be an obvious choice for corporate PC deployment, but it could be a boon in managing security for home workers.
The inclusion of security features such as a personal firewall may protect against basic intrusion, especially given the popularity of always-on connectivity technologies such as DSL that are vulnerable to outside access, Hughes said.
"For most corporates XP is hardly on the radar, but for home users it plugs a hole in the broadband scenario," said Hughes. "In terms of setup it's also good Â-- you don't need a PhD in TCP/IP to get it to work."
However, most users will need to switch on the personal firewall unless PC makers have set it as a default configuration, and changing settings can be tricky, according to IT Week Labs tests.
The growth of home working has led some managers to regret schemes under which firms have given staff discounted or free home PCs, because they have caused support difficulties and security headaches.
