10+1 things to tell your boss why you should migrate to Linux

Posted March 22nd, 2009 by j00p34

A while ago somebody asked me what he could tell his boss to convince him to migrate to Linux, so I made him a small list.

1. Cost

Bosses know calculators, so this is the number one thing to tell your boss why you should migrate to Linux. The total cost of ownership(TCO) of linux is lower than windows. While linux administrators are a little more expensive, they are a lot more efficient so this gives a benefit. The licensing costs are lower, you don't have to migrate to a new OS every few years, you can use the same hardware twice as long.

2. Security

Linux is more secure than windows, there are few computer viruses targeting Linux and it has been historically built as a network operating system this makes it much safer to use than windows. Windows is based on a standalone architecture and has a legacy it can't avoid. Linux is Open Source which is also more secure because everybody can look at the source and so holes in the security have a bigger chance of being discovered and fixed.

3. Performance

Linux is valued as a high performing operating system. Due to its modular nature - entire portions of the operating system can be easily added or removed, the operating system can be easily tuned for a specific purpose. Need a webserver? You can install a webserver only system, no gui, no nothing you don't really need.
Need a mailserver? You can run a dedicated mailserver without a problem, just doing mail and nothing else.

4. Stability

Linux is more stable than windows. Does your boss ever get frustrated with windows because of the instability? Tell him/her about Linux stability, and how it's almost always possible to recover if something "hangs" in Linux. In windows if something goes wrong the whole system freezes and you can only fix it by rebooting. This almost never happens in Linux, if something goes wrong a program may freeze and you can easily kill of that program.

5. Open Standards

Because Linux is open source and freely distributable, it includes open standards which protect you from the so called vendor-lock-in. Any smart boss can recognize being locked in by technology is great, for the owner of that technology. Competition is a good thing for users because it gives guarantees of quality and reasonable price. Being bound to technology and standards owned by companies eliminates competition.

6. Interoperability

With Linux it's very easy to communicate over a network with just about any other computer platform, with various protocols, such as for exchanging data files. Linux has samba which can make it even act as a windows fileserver and Active Directory domain member. Linux also has very good free office suites that read windows office files.

7. Flexibility

When you need something in windows software which is not available you'll need to have completely new software developed. In Linux there's a big chance you can just take an existing project and adapt it to your needs. This happens all the time and is one of the great benefits of open source.

8. Free software

It's not only the OS, when you use Linux you not only get a great operating system. You also get an incredible amount of free and open source programs to do almost everything you ever need. This is something which is overlooked often. When you compare Linux to windows TCO you might only look at operating system cost. But if you need anything in windows it's probably going to cost you money, there are open source projects available for windows, but nowhere near as many as for Linux. Almost everything in Linux is available free of cost, office suites, planning tools, development tools, administration tools, you name it.

9. Virtualization

Linux has very advanced virtualization solutions giving you the possibilities to run virtual servers with very little overhead. Here's another opportunity for stressing the cost saving possibilities. Free virtualization solutions available here! And as most bosses understand money much better than technology this is a very strong point.

10. Future proof

Linux won't disappear, it's shown a very steady growth and it's backed by some very big companies these days. If the only company owning and supporting your operating system software disappears you'll have a big problem. If all big company's backing Linux would disappear (which is nearly impossible) the code would still be available and any new player on the market can just pick it up and continue support.

11. Happy sysadmin

The most important reason, Linux makes system administrators happy.
Linux is so much easier and nicer to maintain, because it's built for users by users.
Nothing can compete when it comes to maintenance, linux is so transparent and every tool you can imagine is freely available.

Know some more?

Know more reasons? Help us convince this guys boss and the other bosses of the world, leave a comment!

Follow up:

Migrating the enterprise to Linux, 10 things clarified


Application

Anonymous 49 weeks 11 hours 29 min 4 sec ago

I have used Linux for more than ... can't remember how many years but many years for sure.

I have set up LTSP servers, email servers, internet gateway using Linux for business friends .

But I always hit the wall when the question "what about accounting?" Yes I know there
are many Linux ERP project like openERP etc but these are too complex for small business. What they need are something similar to Quickbook or Peachtree not something so complex as ERP. The accounting software available are either too complex or too simple.

The end results were always a mix of Linux and windows at best.

thankfully we have hosted apps now

admin 49 weeks 10 hours 53 sec ago

I know businesses using online accounting apps nowadays to their great content.
So maybe it doesn't have to end with windows anymore.

Migration to freedom

Anonymous 49 weeks 4 days 6 hours 1 min ago

I begun flirting with Linux in 2003, and made "The Step" in 2004. What is "The Step" supposed to mean? I started to use Linux exclusively, home and work.
Oh, yes, I'm a boss that has migrated indeed, since I owe the business I'm doing and quite some clients followed the example.

The main point is:
"Freedom to do our jobs without paying licenses for our tools."

I've been saying it for ten years...

Anonymous 50 weeks 1 hour 13 min 52 sec ago

The particulars have changed, the technologies have improved, and the reality has dawned on many IT people already, but for those still considering the capability of their organization to migrate their data centres from Windows to Linux the essential arguments remain the same as 10 years ago when I wrote this white paper:

Migrate With Confidence From Microsoft Windows Servers to UNIX/Linux

http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblanc/nt_to_unix.html

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose :)

Thank you for the link!

admin 49 weeks 6 days 22 hours 13 min ago

I'll be reading this on the weekend. Seems like an interesting paper.
thank you

Point to check

Anonymous 50 weeks 4 hours 7 min 53 sec ago

Business need assets, for business value, resale value and tax deduction they need to pay for business items including hardware and software.

2. Security
Windows can be very easily locked down, with free software and low CPU overhead, since Win98 its a non-issue.
If you skilled enough to run Linux you can secure windows, you have to actually TRY to get infected with windows in reality.

3. Performance:
With todays computers there is little or no difference in performance between Linux and Windows, both are easily "fast enough".

4. Stability:
Again not since Win98 has stability been an issue, i cant remember the last time ive seen a Windows machine BSOD, or an application freeze. Windows is really just as stable as Linux.
Certainly, its not a strong argument for trying something different.

5. Open Standards: A standard is what everyone uses, be that a windows .doc or .docz or whatever, a standard is what everyone uses,
VHS video cassette is a case in point, not as technically good as betamax but it because the "defacto" stardard. Everyone used it because everyone uses it. You can also use open standards on Windows making it a moot point.

6. Interoperatible: It can see a network, and talk with windows, so can windows.

7. Flexibility:
In general its the other way around, when an application is not available on windows you have to come up with something, in generaly there are more applications and programs for Windows then for Linux, also most application for Linux have been ported to Windows anyway.

So if im looking for the application to program or burn the internal eprom for a NERA Worldphone satellite telephone, do you think i would be able to find an FOSS program that I could "adapt" ?? Ofcourse not.
NERA create their software for windows, because thats the industry standard.
Linux is restricting flexibility by having many distro's with different abi's and application suites. Making it harder to understand or define the right one for any one application, or for general purpose use.

8. Free Software, (this is no.1) and again, business need assets and expenses for company value, and for tax purposes.
So Free is not generally a requirement, and its hard to form a business relationship with a company that is a moving target (many distro's no central authority) whereas its better for them to pay a single vendor they have the recourse to then and they can "do business" ie buy assets and increase your company's value. It also helps the economy to pay programmers, and it gives the creators of the product (the software) incentive to give the client what they want and are willing to pay for. (people buy high quality cars because they can and they want quality, even when there are cheaper alternatives).
THis is something FOSS does not see.

The creators of windows and MS application get paid, the company gives clients what they want, and what they are willing to pay good money for. If they create software this is low quality and no one buys it, they lose their job.
This incentive for quality and client services is absent in FOSS>

9. Virtualization - Well, you can do the same on windows, or does this mean you can use Windows on linux, then why not just use windows.
Ive been running virtual Linux, VMS, UNIX and Windows ON Windows for years.

10. Future proof - Microsoft is a pretty big company as well, and it has alot of large customers. MS products have a much higher market depth than Linux of FOSS products, Windows Vista claimed to be a "failure" is now over 30% market share. On the scale of existance MS is high on the list and FOSS/Linux no on the high end.

Would FOSS/Linux be able to sustain a say $700 Million law suit?
Does FOSS have many billions in the bank for a "war chest"??

Could IBM or redhat fight off a hostile takeover from MS ?

11. Happy sysadmin
According to you, if Linux is so stable, and easy then they probably do not need a sysadmin anymore and will outsource that, so it will be an unemployed sysadmin, (not necessary something to be happy about).

I dont mind Linux, but to convince anyone except those allready converts, you need to come up with something far better. Because basically most of your arguments dont wash, and telling a windows user his system is unstable, when he uses it day in day out and it IS stable, !! makes him think about your competance !!

After all, you cant even get Windows stable and secure (the boss can), and you want to get him to most to something you wrote (or is written by unpaid or hobby programmers).
He wont buy your arguments if he can see you wrong for the get go.

True

Anonymous 29 weeks 4 days 18 hours 7 min ago

I think this guy has a point. There is not a single linux distro with such a stable desktop as winxp or windows vista. Every desktop linux distro comes with loads of bugs. The more stable ones like debian are not that user friendly that anyone can use them. There way to many distro's anyway. Instead of making one great stable desktop distro together, with ONE package management system, linux users want to have more choice bladiebla, so at the moment you can choose between hundreds of them. There is even a Hanah Motana distro. Nice. If people thinking about switching from windows to linux and the have to choose between the whole lot, they rather stick to their well known and stable windows. This road leads nowhere. I apologize for my bad English, and of course many won't agree with me. Well, I don't care :p

Posting anonymously = Job security

Anonymous 47 weeks 2 days 37 min 48 sec ago

Seriously? You BEST be trolling.

This is probably the worst thing I have ever read.
I'm so filled with rage just by reading this that I can't even formulate any civil replies to it.
To summarize:
Oh my God, you're an idiot. I can't believe someone actually hired you to work in IT somewhere. I truly hope your hiring manager realizes his mistake quickly before you single-handedly send your company into a downward spiral into oblivion and centuries of debt.

>> Business need assets, for

Anonymous 49 weeks 3 days 14 hours 10 min ago

>> Business need assets, for business value, resale value and tax deduction they need to pay for business items including hardware and software.

I'm not an accountant, but I believe you are saving at most 35 cents on the dollar that way. You are still losing the other 65 cents.

If you know of any major enterprise that thinks the way you do, let me know. I can customize a Linux distro for them and charge them pennies for the service but sell them the modified software for $50,000 per installation. This way they will have a bunch they can deduct later on: for every 50K they pay me, they will get back 15K or so in tax savings.

To take an example, if they install the software in 10,000 desktops, it will cost them $500,000,000, sure, but they will get back in tax savings a full $150,000,000!

As for Red Hat and other vendors, I think they charge for the sw and for the service, just like Microsoft does. Difference obviously is that (a) you get source code only for Linux (ie, Red Hat products) and (b) you can even get the identical (or almost identical) software from alternate suppliers (though without the same service backing).

Response to Point to check

Anonymous 49 weeks 5 days 51 min 51 sec ago

Wow, whoever you are (first Anon Point to check) you are so full of **** in your response to the article.

"If you skilled enough to run Linux you can secure windows, you have to actually TRY to get infected with windows in reality."
While the first part is true, your second part is vacuous. They're called users. They're not educated about security, and don't want to know. they want to download everything that flashes at them and get millions from a dead relative in Nigeria even though they're pasty white.

"With todays computers there is little or no difference in performance between Linux and Windows, both are easily "fast enough"."
Yes, but you have to purchase new hardware to install a new version of windows. That's the point - you can save money and NOT upgrade every few years.

"Again not since Win98 has stability been an issue, blah, blah, blah, its not a strong argument for trying something different."
You must not install apps on your windows machines. Windows DOES run fine until you start installing apps on it.

"Open Standards: blah, blah, blah"
OMG, how retarded are you? MS doesn't even make it's software compatible with the previous versions of their own software, let alone anyone else.

"Interoperatible: It can see a network, and talk with windows, so can windows."
Yes, but the point is that windows doesn't like to talk to Linux, Unix, Mac, etc. They only like to see other windows. That's monolithic, not interoperable. Do you actually know what you are talking about?

"Flexibility:"
Wow, you have no idea what you are talking about. Do you know you can run Windows programs on Linux, but not Linux programs on Windows? What "most applications" are you referring to that have been ported from Linux to windows? Yes, there are some companies that only cater to windows software. Most software can be ported across platforms - did you know that? Proprietary solutions just don't let anyone do that.

#8
Actually, OSS is normally of higher quality than MS produced options. I don't think anyone at MS looses their job for low quality, or no one would be working there. We're talking about gouging the public. Gates is one of the richest men in the world because of marketing. MS tells you that you have to upgrade every few years. They change the GUI, but what real advances to they make? Seriously, I can still get more done on a DOS command-line than in the XP desktop. (in all fairness, I use XP sp3 at work and it's just fine. What is there about Vista or 7 that entices me to upgrade? There's nothing but eye-candy there, and I'm not OK with that.)

"Future Proof"
MS has Billions because they gauged the public for it. 30% market share for a crap system because they FORCED it on the manufacturers. Maybe you need to wonder WHY MS is hit with lawsuits. They steal software and force people to use their products, and with such deep pockets, they can weather any lawsuit, can't they. FOSS is the only way to complete with them, because there's no way to hit a free, open, un-centralized system. MS would do it if they could, no doubt about it. They've destroyed other companies before.

OK your last argument about outsourcing if something becomes stable is just ******. Linux doesn't just randomly stop working. MS does. I've seen it. Especially when you install apps. Which are usually poorly written resource-hogs that only work with massive amounts of RAM thrown at them.

If you don't like these articles, don't read them. They're not for you. Just don't waste our time with your ******, untrue, ******* comments.

*******************************************************************************************
This comment was edited for some language which could be considered offensive.
While I try to publish as much as possible, I can't publish offensive language.
If anybody would like to read the original unedited content, it can be requested with me.

just a note

Anonymous 49 weeks 2 days 14 hours 30 min ago

Thank you for editing my comments. It makes me so mad when people talk like that. You shouldn't drive when you drink, and you shouldn't comment to blogs when you're mad. You can delete this comment, just wanted to say thanks for editing - I agree with you doing that. I can't find your e-mail address to send to you directly.

Did enjoy the discussion between you and mike, even if his side was ill supported.

Do you think that was him, the anon that I was replying to? I'm thinking it was.

Oh well, thanks again, and OK to delete this comment.

Don't think so

admin 49 weeks 2 days 10 hours 51 min ago

You can say a lot about Mike, but not that he's afraid to put his name to his words. He replied to comments here and on his blog with his name. I think there are more people who have an opinion ;-)

Typical FUD

Anonymous 49 weeks 5 days 3 hours 30 min ago

"Business need assets, for business value, resale value and tax deduction they need to pay for business items including hardware and software."

First, let's cut "hardware" from this pile of stink. It's a red herring.

Now, according to your logic, companies must be lining up to farm out their IT projects to the HIGHEST bidder. That gives them the biggest possible "resale value and tax deduction," right?

And here I thought a lower TCO was the more desirable way to go. I feel as silly as I did back in the 90s, when I didn't see the brilliance of dot-com business plans that lost money on every unit sold...but made it up in volume.

Point to Check

Anonymous 49 weeks 6 days 23 hours 56 min ago

Said a lot. Haven't seen this much ******** except behind a barn. I've got over 37 years experience and I run Linux. I help other people fixing Windows problems. If they want to stay with Windows, that's their choice but most switch to Linux when I show them how easy it is and how much they can save while being secure.

Mostly your remarks promote FUD and false economy. Started to reply to each remark but that would be taking up too much room.

great article ...

Anonymous 50 weeks 2 days 9 hours 25 min ago

Except hardware problems when I using any rare hardware products, I think linux is the right choice for your solution to create networking services ... NB: In my office I'm used PII 256MB to give my network dhcp and proxy services ... nice hah :) ...

No licence keys to lose ...

Anonymous 50 weeks 2 days 22 hours 30 min ago

... and you won't get your front door broken down by some authorities just because someone was lapse on the licencing! Isn't it that the MD's and the techies involved in such cases can be threatened with imprisonment?

That's a very good reason to go FOSS.

reasons to migrate

Anonymous 50 weeks 3 days 4 hours 6 min ago

I've always felt that the cost advantage should be broken out by itself. This is not meant as a criticism of this list. A cost break-out is not appropriate here.

But when one has a chance to make a case for Linux/OSS, there should be a comparison of sw costs for a typical windows desktop or server compared to the Linux/OSS solution. This also provides the opportunity to put this advantage into the form in which it has the most impact (ie, numbers totaled side-by-side).

Then, in addition to that, there is the advantage of no lock-in. There is lock-in re the ms sw components to be sure, but there also is lock-in re the additional sw packs necessary to perform the task of the computer (ie, desktop or server). This reinforces the advantage of freedom. If for some reason you need to reconfigure a box for another purpose, you will not waste any money (invested in the cost of sw) in the process. And again, you have real freedom to use the assets for your purposes as you see fit regardless of how you needs change.

Finally, re other applications, you also can use Linux/OSS to set up firewalls, spam filters, etc. Again with no material's cost other than the hardware.

A good list. I've copied it and will be using it to make the case with friends and business acquaintances.

Thanks j00p34.

I second that!

admin 50 weeks 2 days 23 hours 58 min ago

I second that completely, we use old computers which have been used as desktops for:

svn server
cvs server
firewall
webserver
intranet server
mailserver
development test server
fileserver

all on hardware which you would have thrown away if you run a windows only shop!
TCO? about 200 euro a year for books about Linux and some electricity.
Compare that to the windows equivalent.

great summary - one more point

Anonymous 50 weeks 3 days 5 hours 1 min ago

Great article!
One other point you might consider is that it makes users happy because it is very easy to use. Switching from Windows or Mac to Linux is very easy to do. Many of the skills transfer directly so only minimal training is necessary.

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