Network World Fusion: Linux barrels deeper into the enterprise

"The potential to save money is a driving factor behind companies' plans to implement Linux, or at least evaluate it as an alternative to Unix-based enterprise servers. A recent IDC study shows that a company with 1,000 users can save around $307 per year, per seat by running Web, intranet and extranet applications on Intel-based Linux servers over Unix servers based on Reduced Instruction Set Chip (RISC) processors - such as HP's PA architecture or IBM's RS6000.

The research firm says that companies can see even bigger savings - $1,142 per user, per year - by migrating from Unix to Linux when running collaborative applications, such as groupware programs or custom-developed enterprise applications. IDC says customers making the switch to Linux could see savings in hardware costs (because Intel-based servers are less expensive than RISC-based machines) and software licensing costs (because Linux doesn't have any).

And real-world savings are showing up on corporations' bottom lines when moves are made from proprietary to open source."

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