Support Issues Hinder The Case For LinuxSupport Issues Hinder The Case For Linux

Sizable marketing campaigns are being conducted to lure customers away from Microsoft products. Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Oracle are all doing this, and Linux is a key component. While many companies have for years used Linux on their Web, E-mail, and file or printer servers, the operating system has rarely played a starring enterprise role. Now the open-source operating system must live up to the ready-for-business expectations.

This may be quite a challenge. Few business-technology professionals responding to an information Research survey on Linux characterize their companies as staunch supporters of the operating system. Fewer than half of the survey's 274 respondents say their companies are highly committed to Linux, even though these sites have been using Linux for a year or more.

Many companies lack the internal expertise needed to administer Linux, and the survey shows that support concerns are widespread. Linux distributors such as Red Hat and those comprising UnitedLinux make their money off the services and add-on apps they provide with the basic Linux operating system. However, satisfaction with fee-based support is down. Thirty-one percent of users say they're extremely satisfied, down from 42% a year ago. Nearly 30% of sites using Linux on servers have encountered hardware support issues; 14% complain that they can't find high-quality and affordable Linux training.

How will training and support concerns affect your company's use of Linux? Let us know at the address below.

Larry Greenemeier
Associate Editor
[email protected]

Company Loyalty

How committed is your company to Linux or open-source software?

Long-term use doesn't signify undivided loyalty. That's what information Research found when it asked Linux users about their company's commitment to the operating system or open-source software in general. Most companies aren't entirely sold on either one. Fifty-five percent of business-technology professionals say that their companies are somewhat or not at all committed to Linux and open-source software, despite using Linux for a year or more.

Support Disappoints

How satisfied is your company with available fee-based support for Linux?

Few companies are pleased with fee-based support for Linux. But how extensive is the problem? Based on our survey, Linux suppliers have the opportunity to change the minds of those dissatisfied with available support. Just 6% of sites report being totally unhappy with what's available, compared with 63% that are only somewhat satisfied. However, these percentages have remained relatively unchanged year over year, indicating that satisfaction with fee-based support is an ongoing matter that vendors have yet to rectify.

Linux Source

What is your company's primary source for purchasing Linux and other open-source software?

Linux and other open-source software are available free online, but fewer companies are using these resources compared with a year ago. Instead, specialty Linux software vendors and service providers continue to be the primary source of Linux and other open-source software purchases. And more companies are buying from computer resellers, dealers, or system integrators as well as company systems vendors than they were a year ago.

Red Hat Dominates

Which suppliers does your company use to get Linux-related software and support?

Red Hat is the vendor of choice most of the time. Of the sites surveyed in May about their Linux practices, four in five use Red Hat for their Linux software and support needs. That's substantially more than the one in five purchasing from IBM or Dell or the one in 10 turning to Hewlett-Packard or Sun Microsystems. Although Red Hat owns the lion's share of the Linux market, systems vendors such as IBM also sell Linux offerings from UnitedLinux, which includes software from Connectiva, the SCO Group, SuSE, and TurboLinux.