A new survey from the Linux Foundation indicates that Linux adoption is growing at the expense of Windows, particularly in the enterprise.
According
to a new survey from the
Linux
Foundation, adoption of enterprise Linux is growing at the expense of
Windows.
The
Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the
growth of Linux, has published
"Linux
Adoption Trends: A Survey of Enterprise End Users," which shares new
data that shows Linux is poised to take significant market share from Unix and
Windows.
The
Linux Foundation survey showed that nearly 80 percent of companies surveyed
said they are adding more Linux relative to other operating systems in the next
five years. Overall, the survey also indicated that Linux is becoming more
mission-critical in the enterprise and more strategic to the CIO.
The
data in the report reflects the results of an invitation-only survey of the
Linux
Foundation's Enterprise End User Council as well as of other companies and
government organizations. The survey was conducted by The Linux Foundation in
partnership with Yeoman Technology Group during August and September 2010 and
received responses from more than 1,900 individuals.
The
data shows that Linux vendors are poised for growth in the years to come as
large Linux users plan to both deploy more Linux relative to other operating
systems and to use the OS for more mission-critical workloads than ever before.
Linux is also becoming the preferred platform for new/"greenfield"
deployments, representing a major shift in user patterns as IT managers break
away from legacy systems.
Key
findings from the report include that 79.4 percent of companies are adding more
Linux relative to other operating systems in the next five years; more people
are reporting that their Linux deployments are migrations from Windows than any
other platform, including Unix migrations; 66 percent of users surveyed say
that their Linux deployments are brand new "greenfield" deployments;
among the early adopters who are operating in cloud environments, 70.3 percent
use Linux as their primary platform, while only 18.3 percent use Windows; and
60.2 percent of respondents said they will use Linux for more mission-critical
workloads over the next 12 months.
Other
interesting findings from the survey include that 86.5 percent of respondents
said they view Linux as improving, and 58.4 percent say their CIOs see Linux as
more strategic to the organization as compared with three years ago. In
addition, drivers for Linux adoption extend beyond cost: Technical superiority
is the primary driver, followed by cost and then security, according to the
survey.
Moreover,
the growth in Linux is leading companies to increasingly seek Linux IT
professionals, with 38.3 percent of respondents citing a lack of Linux talent as
one of their main concerns related to the platform.
The
Linux Foundation survey also showed that users participate in Linux development
in three primary ways: testing and submitting bugs, working with vendors, and
participating in Linux Foundation activities. The top way is by testing and
submitting bugs, with 37.5 percent of users saying they participate in Linux
development via this method. Meanwhile, 30.7 percent said they participate by
working with vendors, 26 percent by participating in Linux Foundation
activities.
"The Linux Foundation strives to be a resource for Linux
research and information both for our members and for Linux users worldwide,"
said Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer programs at
The Linux Foundation. "We feel it's important to ask the people who use
Linux in the enterprise directly about their use and perceptions of Linux so we
can continue to improve the platform. The IT professionals we surveyed for the
Linux Adoption Trends report are among the world's most advanced Linux users
working at the largest enterprise companies and illustrate what we can expect
from the market in the months and years ahead."
To download the full report, go to:
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/lp/page/download-the-free-linux-adoption-trends-report.
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