Linux continues to achieve greater footing in the business world. While most businesses today run the Windows Operating System, we continue to see growth in the movement from Windows to Linux because of cost and because of the increase in function and program availability. Many businesses have already migrated to running their servers on a Linux-based platform and we are seeing this trend extend into personal and business PC's and Desktops as well. In a recent report, market researcher IDC said licenses of both free and purchased versions of Linux software going into PCs world-wide rose 20.8% in 2006 over the previous year and forecast that licenses will increase 30% this year over last. That compares with 10.5% growth in 2004, according to IDC. We have also seen companies such as Dell giving the option to the PC buyers to have the Ubuntu distribution of Linux pre-installed on their computers. There are numerous reasons why the move is being made to Linux from a business perspective. Here are some of the key points:



Greater interoperability: Open source software is typically based on open standards making it easier to share information than with proprietary systems.

Eliminates lock-in: Open source provides flexibility by eliminating platform and vendor lock-in.

Higher level of security: Studies have shown open source software to be more reliable and more secure than closed-source equivalents. When patches are required, they are typically available in a matter of hours, rather than days or months.

Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Studies have shown that the improved reliability and productivity of open source software combined with reduced hardware and software expenses can result in up to 90% lower TCO compared to traditional closed source software.

One major factor in businesses switching to Linux is due in part to the superior products being produced by the open source community. The office suite available from OpenOffice as a free solution is very comparable to Microsoft Office and has many cross platform features that its Microsoft counterpart doesn't offer. People everyday are switching from the Exchange server to CommunityPro for their email needs. Want something different than Outlook, try Thunderbird. The list goes on and on, with new open source programs being developed and used to the same standard as closed source programs everyday there seems to be an answer to all your needs for making the switch to Linux at a fraction of the cost.

No matter what OS is decided upon for your company, support can make or break your success. Implementation of proper tools, ongoing upkeep of hardware and software, network security and dependability will all play a huge role in the success of your business network. Finding the right support is critical, however people are continually seeing a dramatic decrease in their TCO by switching to Linux since all operating systems will need strong support based on the company's needs. Red Hat and Novell have taken a different approach than Microsoft in this industry offering low-cost solutions with strong support options that will benefit the business owner in cost comparison.

Article by,

Levi Brown,