Germany has signed a deal with IBM to supply the open-source Linux
operating system to its government departments.
A small but growing group of European governments - including
Finland and France - are throwing their support behind open
standards.
Under the deal, signed by German interior minister Otto Schily and
Erwin Staudt, chairman of IBM Deutschland, federal, state and local
governments will receive discounts on IBM hardware and software
products that support Linux.
IBM plans to preinstall on its servers a version of Linux, supplied
by SuSE Linux. SuSE Linux is a member of the new UnitedLinux group
that aims to create a common business version of the operating
system. The other members are Caldera, Turbolinux and
Conectiva.
The German government hopes to save money and improve security by
jumping on the Linux bandwagon.
In a written statement, Schily said that the partnership with IBM
stems from talks about new IT security measures following the 11
September terrorist attacks in the US. He said that by supporting
open-source software, the German government would avoid a "mono" IT
environment, which is more susceptible to attack.
Schily added that support of Linux would enable the public sector
to achieve a greater level of software "heterogeneity" and to
procure products for open-source environments more "quickly and
easily".
IBM will also provide technical support to government departments
deploying Linux and other open-source software products. This will
include the launch of an open-source portal and a hotline service.
The company will also be in charge of establishing a strategic
management team to help develop new IT solutions based on open
standards for the public sector
The German deal will extend to December 2004.