“Linux in the data center brings with it a dilemma: more boxes
to manage. Traditional IT management tools such as HP OpenView, IBM
Tivoli, and CA Unicenter can creep up in cost as the server count
increases. With management tools in the picture, the total cost of
ownership may actually increase instead of decrease when Linux is
brought in.“‘I see CIO’s looking at tools that allow them to extend
existing core IT systems down to Linux, so they can treat the
system like any other already on their network,’ explains Steve
Merkel, CIO of Denver-based data center Data393. ‘If they can
deploy Linux within the enterprise, and administratively apply
policy to that box just like they apply it to any Windows
environment on the network, they would likely explore that
option…'”