A new 20-page white paper from Microsoft, "The Business Value of Windows Vista," breaks down the five main areas of benefit that companies could expect in upgrading from XP to Vista now.

The five areas are the usual topics for evaluation: security, mobility, productivity, cost, and management and support. And the improvements here over XP have been covered in previous Microsoft white papers and communications comparing the two operating systems.

The main message here, and one that perhaps would have made more impact had it not been carried in a 20-page document, is the reminder that a decision to put off for too long or skip entirely over Vista, by waiting for Windows 7, won't produce any benefits. Application compatibility issues will be faced now, Microsoft says, or later. You can choose. But Redmond will continue to release new operating systems every three years or so, and the ramp-up to the mainstream adoption period will continue to span a year to a year and a half or so, just as the sun will rise each morning.

Take your medicine now, Microsoft says.