"Windows 8 isn't even in Release Candidate code yet, so it's premature for most organizations to make any business decision about replacing Windows 7 with Windows 8. We need to see the finished product first," Gillen said.

Gartner's Silver believes that Windows 8 will largely be bypassed altogether, except in specific cases, such as in organizations that want to deploy Windows-based tablets to their users. It has become popular for users to come to work with their personal smartphones and tablets (mostly Android and Apple iOS devices), the BYOD trend. Microsoft wants to enter that party, but Windows is currently a small player in tablets and smartphones.

At hotel titan Hyatt, the work to upgrade desktops from Windows XP to Windows 7 began in 2009 and continues today. The company expects to complete the upgrade of all 34,000 desktops in North America by the end of this year.

Hyatt's CIO, Mike Blake, is very impressed with Windows 7, calling it "a great product." While not closed to Windows 8, Blake said there are still many unanswered questions about the new OS.

"I've wavered from one end of the Microsoft spectrum to the other. I was a hater and now I'm more of a proponent, and a lot of it has to do with Windows 7," he said.