Ford Motor is opting for Linux to replace some of their
Unix-based servers.
Ford uses versions of Unix from Sun Microsystems,
Hewlett-Packard and IBM, but it is considering more widespread use
of Linux on Intel hardware for some of its server-based
applications, primarily because of the potential cost benefits,
said George Surdu, director of global IT infrastructure at
Ford.
Ford has no plans, "in the forseeable future" however, to move
to Linux on the desktop. The company recently signed a three-year
enterprise agreement with Microsoft covering its desktop operating
system, Office applications and other collaborative
technologies.
Surdu said the exploration of Linux is part of an aggressive
worldwide programme by Ford to simplify and standardise its
infrastructure. He estimated the work could take three to five
years and noted that Ford has accumulated over time "just about
every flavour of everything".
"I believe we are not too different from many companies in that
we have this one-in-a-row syndrome. Every solution is a new
architecture and a different type of technology, and that requires
a tremendous amount of integration," Surdu said, adding that the
wide range of technologies has become cumbersome and difficult to
manage.
Ford certainly is not the only large corporation expected to try
Linux in the server environment.
In a Forrester Research survey of 75 IT executives at companies
with at least $500m in annual revenue, 24% of the respondents said
they were likely or very likely to adopt Linux during the next year
for infrastructure purposes, according to analyst Ted Schadler.
Among that group, 17% said they were likely to use Linux for
application serving, and 15% said they were likely to run databases
and engineering workstations on Linux. Only one company said it was
likely to move to Linux desktops during the coming year.
Carol Sliwa writes for Computerworld