Operating system software

The operating system software is the first thing to load when you turn your computer on. It runs constantly, organising and controlling your computer so other programs operate smoothly.

Operating system software is required before you can do anything with a computer. As it’s such an important piece of business software, it’s wise to evaluate the options to get the best operating system for your company.

Choosing the best operating system for you

The operating system software market is dominated by Microsoft. The vast majority of companies use some form of Microsoft Windows as the main operating system on their computers.

However, it’s definitely worth evaluating other types of operating system software. A number of key factors will influence your choice:

• Your existing systems. Standardising on a single operating system will make it easier to network and share files between computers in your business. It can reduce your support costs too.

• Familiarity. Different operating systems work in different ways. If you adopt an operating system your staff aren’t familiar with, you may need to invest more in training and support.

• Complexity. Some operating systems require more technical knowledge to set up and maintain than others. 

• Software compatibility. You can only run programs designed to work with the operating system software you choose.

• Hardware compatibility. The operating system uses pieces of software called “drivers” to tell it how to control your computer hardware. Each piece of hardware requires its own driver - but some pieces of hardware don’t have drivers for less-common operating systems.

Operating system software types

There are three main types of operating system software:

• Microsoft Windows. The default choice for most businesses, Windows comes preinstalled on many new computers. You can run a huge amount of software on it and a boxed copy will cost from £90.

• Linux. There are lots of “distributions” (types) of this free open source operating system software. It is slowly gaining popularity, is more user-friendly than ever and now supports most common hardware.

• Mac OS. If your business uses Apple Mac computers, you’ll almost certainly be using Apple’s operating system software. It costs around £100 for a boxed copy, and is your only real choice if you use Apple Macs.

It’s usually possible to use different operating systems on the same computer network. The main drawback of this approach is that support and maintenance costs are likely to increase.

Operating system software maintenance

To keep your operating system software running smoothly, check for updates regularly. It’s particularly important to install security-related updates to protect against hackers and viruses.

New versions of operating systems - with major changes - are released once every three years or so. Although there may be attractive deals encouraging you to upgrade, it’s usually wise to wait until the new version has been proven to be reliable.

For instance, many companies use Windows XP. Although released a number of years ago, this version is considered reliable and is therefore widely used.

However, Windows XP is no longer available to buy. As a result, many businesses have started to move to the latest version, Windows 7. As time goes on, it is likely some software will drop support for Windows XP, so although immediate upgrades aren’t necessary, a planned future move to Windows 7 might be wise.