Will companies pay attention to new operating systems (i.e. Windows 8)?

Traditionally application compatibility has driven the Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) to choose a single operating system OS/hardware platform.  This homogeneous environment – regardless of whether it was Windows, Mac, or Linux - was easier to maintain, reduced costs and increased system availability.  As more applications are available via Software as a Service (SaaS) that run from a browser on any OS or are delivered by technologies such as Citrix XenApp to any device, companies are looking to flexibility as a main requirement for their IT infrastructure.  The OS and hardware become a user-specific preference that allows employees to choose the environment that they are most productive in at any given time – a thin client from the office, an iPad from a meeting or an Android smartphone from a lunch meeting.   This shift will move the emphasis from standardizing the OS/hardware as a focal point to enabling any OS/hardware.