Linux Journal: Linux Saves Money and the Numbers Prove It

“A few days ago, Cybersource, the company I work for, released a
study undertaken on the relative operating costs of running a
mid-sized business on Linux and free software on the one hand, and
Windows and Microsoft applications on the other. We’ve had a
significant response to this study from many industry news
organisations, industry players and individuals. What I’d like to
discuss here is both the context within which this study originated
and the methodology and results which precipitated.

“First, a little history. While our firm has been using Linux
for almost the entirety of its ten-year history, (preceded by a
stint with Minix no less), we have been recommending Linux server
and network infrastructure solutions for only about six years and
line-of-business desktop solutions for about three years. In all
circumstances, we want to know that Linux could solve the business
problems of a client before we proffer a solution recommendation.
The Linux server solutions business has been going strongly, but
uptake of Linux desktops among business customers has been slower.
The past nine months, however, has seen a dramatic increase in the
number of existing and potential new customers, indicating that
they are looking seriously at large-scale, non-infrastructural
deployments of Linux desktops and terminals. Many of these
customers approached us with the question: ‘How much will we save
if we move groups, departments or the whole company to Linux?’ We
didn’t have an answer for them then. We do now.

“One of the other prime motivators in our undertaking this
project was as a response to Microsoft’s claims that the cost of
software licensing was a virtual non-entity in the overall
calculation of IT budgetary expenditure, accounting for a mere few
percent. Our experience with many clients indicated otherwise. We
began with our first study, released late last year…”

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