Companies are failing to use Desktop Linux and other open-source
software products because the cost of migrating from Microsoft
Windows is too great, according to analyst group Gartner.
A Gartner survey has found that just 1% of enterprise IT users
run any Linux desktops. The firm surveyed users attending its
conferences in Europe and the US late last year.
It also estimates that the proportion of enterprise users with
some Linux desktops will increase to just 3.2% by 2008.
The research vice-president of Gartner’s client platforms group,
Michael Silver, confirmed, “For most companies, the cost to migrate
away from Windows is simply too high and outweighs the benefits
companies expect they will receive.”
Public-sector bodies have been more willing to deploy Desktop
Linux than companies of similar sizes. Bristol Council migrated
5,000 desktops to open-source application suite Staroffice late
last year. The desktops had been using Microsoft Office
applications and Lotus 1-2-3.
Gartner’s research vice-president Andrea DiMaio said, “Open
source is gaining ground in the public sector because the
government calculates return on investment differently.”