"However, when the scale of installation exceeds the number of
machines you can manage manually (and that depends on how dedicated
you are, in most cases it seems to be about 10 desktops) and begins
to approach a number where you need a staff to manage them, then
Linux as a desktop solution begins to lose its luster. This is not
to say that Linux as a desktop OS is not possible, but, the
management and maintenance of the desktop environment becomes the
proverbial long pole in the tent and begins to chew up resources,
in terms of manpower and costs.
"Doc argues that Exchange has the advantage because it is good.
I would disagree that it is good, but that 1) it combines a number
of useful tools into a single suite application with a common UI
and 2) it has several supplemental programs, such as Blackberry
support written for it and thus makes it a lock in technology. When
it comes to desktop management however, there are as many options
in the Windows world as there are email systems in the Linux world.
Sadly, there are not a lot of homogenous options for desktop
management in the Linux world. This is not to say there are not
any, but there is not one or two that meet most of the needs of
management when they are looking for a desktop management system
and fewer tools in general that support the baseline requirements
or share a common UI."
