New study shows Linux firmly entrenched in the enterprise

Linux has reached unprecedented levels of deployment within enterprise environments, according to a recent study commissioned by enterprise Linux provider SUSE® of IT executives at mid- to large-sized businesses. Top reasons given for Linux adoption include its lower total cost of ownership (TCO), the higher performance of Linux and customers' desire to avoid vendor lock-in.

Twenty-one years after its introduction, Linux is now widely accepted and trusted within the vast majority of enterprise server environments. Eighty-three percent of respondents are currently running Linux in their server environments, and more than 40 percent are using Linux as either their primary server operating system or as one of their top server platforms.

In addition, Linux is increasingly the operating system of choice for business-critical applications. Many enterprises either currently or are planning to run database (69 percent), data warehousing (62 percent), business intelligence (62 percent), customer relationship management or CRM (42 percent) and enterprise resource planning or ERP (31 percent) applications on Linux servers during the next 12 months.

Other key findings include:
· Database (17 percent) and business intelligence (17 percent) comprise the most popular apps currently running on Linux, followed by web servers (14 percent), CRM systems (12 percent), data warehousing (12 percent) and custom/vertical applications (8 percent).
· Security, TCO and high-availability features are the most significant factors respondents look at when considering migrating mission-critical applications to Linux.
· When evaluating Linux as an alternative to UNIX, top priorities are support, security and in-house skills.
· Nearly 60 percent of respondents agreed that moving to open source platforms like Linux will ensure their organisations avoid vendor lock-in.

“A few organisations still have irrational fears about Linux environments, but these results prove that Linux is a true enterprise-grade operating system,” explains Brian Green, UK managing director of SUSE. “The financial services industry has some of the most mission critical IT environments and is a prime example of a sector which has already embraced Linux as a cost-effective and reliable solution to its IT challenges.

“The fact that Linux is now deployed in 83 percent of server environments shows the new level of confidence in open source. The UK government recently mandated a preference for open source and at a time when organisations are looking to reduce total cost of ownership and increase performance, more and more IT departments are moving away from proprietary platforms to achieve this.”

Michael Miller, vice president of global alliances and marketing for SUSE, said, “We knew Linux had come a long way in the 20 years SUSE has been in business, and we're pleased that the data clearly shows just how far. The relevant question today is not why or when you should be using Linux, it's where you should be using Linux. Enterprises that are not actively considering Linux as the foundation of their data centre transformation or modernisation initiatives are in danger of being left behind financially and technologically.”

The study surveyed nearly 200 IT executives at businesses with more than 500 employees. Fifty-one percent of respondents were from businesses with more than 5,000 employees. Executives were employed within the financial services, health care, manufacturing, government, retail and education industries. The results were compiled in April and May of 2013.