Microsoft has announced that it is to keep company continuity and leave the name Windows 7 as it is.

The company's corporate vice-president Mike Nash said that the decision was made due to keeping things simple, with the leading software manufacturer now tired of "aspirational" titles from the past such as Vista or XP.

Windows 7 follows the third incarnation, 3.1, as well as version four outings such as Windows 95 and 98, version five's Windows XP and the sixth release, Windows Vista.

Regarding the choice of name for the product, Mr Nash said: "While I know there have been a few cases at Microsoft when the codename of a product was used for the final release, I am pretty sure that this is a first for Windows."

A number of screenshots from Windows 7 were leaked onto the internet last month, with many commentators noting its similarities to Vista.

A recent Connect survey found that the two major concerns about outsourcing services like IT support were 'loss of control' (56 per cent) and 'budget over-runs' (43 per cent).