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Migrating to Linux at the Desktop - A Practical IT Management View
With the continuing evolution of Desktop Linux and its associated tools and applications, many organisations are experimenting with this Open Source challenger to the mighty Microsoft Windows. The top five motivations for considering a Windows alternative, as determined from the feedback of nearly 1,700 respondents in a recent online survey, are:
- Concerns about Windows security vulnerabilities
- The high cost burden of keeping windows secure
- A perception that Windows squanders the power of modern hardware
- Ongoing frustration with Windows stability and reliability
- Confusion and dissatisfaction with the cost and complexity of Windows licensing
Such concerns are felt by some to be the cause of increased IT operational costs and to represent an ongoing drain on valuable IT bandwidth.
It is against this background that Linux is considered as an alternative desktop operating system and the perception of its advocates is that it directly addresses all of these concerns.
Yet migrating to Desktop Linux is perceived in itself as a costly and labour intensive exercise, bringing with it a number of its own risks and concerns. The top 5 barriers to migrating to Linux are perceived to be:
- Software availability and compatibility issues
- Usability, End User acceptance and resistance to change
- The cost and challenge of End User training and support
- The cost and challenge of porting bespoke Windows applications
- A frequently encountered dependency on Microsoft Active Directory
There are ways of tackling a Windows to Desktop Linux migration that go some way towards working around these issues, and a series of tips and tricks to increase the chances of a successful migration is presented in this paper. So too is a six step approach to making an objective assessment of whether Desktop Linux is right for your organisation, and if so, where within the organisation it would make the most sense.
1. Introduction
When the average consumer goes shopping for a desktop or laptop computer, they tend to have a Windows based PC in mind. It would never occur to most consumers to look at an alternative; the subconscious considerations being that all of their friends and family have Windows and when they look around the PC megastore at all of the games, utilities and other software displayed, the vast majority of it is Windows based. Nowadays, the chances are also that our shopper will be replacing an existing Windows PC or adding another machine to a household that already runs Windows. Windows is therefore the "obvious" choice for the new computer. Indeed "choice" is probably too strong a word in the majority of cases as no explicit selection will have taken place - Windows was a given from the start.
The picture is not that different for business buyers. When the average small business owner or IT manager goes shopping for another machine to support their business, they have in the back of their mind that they are already running Windows and Windows based software for document preparation, email, accounting and other functions. Furthermore, if they approach local dealers who focus on providing IT products and services to small businesses, they come across a community of people who talk reassuringly about having support staff with extensive Windows experience and the ability to offer good prices and availability on popular Windows based packages. Again, Windows is the default choice.
The considerations for larger organisations in the enterprise and public sectors bring things like internal support and development skills into play, but there is still a default view that in a world dominated by Windows you might as well just "go with the flow". It is against this background that we consider one of the alternatives to the Windows operating system for desktop and Laptop PCs - Linux. In doing this, we acknowledge that there are other desktop options such as systems based on Apple OS/X and various other forms of Unix, but Linux is interesting because it has already achieved mainstream acceptance as a server operating system and has the backing of some of Microsoft's strategic competitors in the IT industry, and even some of its traditional partners.
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