Five things every IT manager should know about Linux

By Timothy D. Witham

March 17, 2003 12:00 PM ET

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Computerworld - When IT managers ask me if they should use Linux, my response is always the same: "It depends upon your needs and goals." This usually leads to a spirited conversation about long-term vs. short-term strategy, return on investment and "core competencies."
In the course of listening to these managers, I've found that the decision to switch comes down to five basic issues. These issues don't apply to every company, but they do apply to the companies that decide to go with Linux.
1. Linux is a true, disruptive technology. If you haven't read The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen, I recommend you do so. To shorten a great piece of work, here's an executive summary: Every once in a while a new technology comes along at a lower price point. The hard part for some companies to accept is that, though the new technology isn't significantly better, it's "good enough" to get the job done. It isn't until new technology gets better that companies realize they could have saved both money and time if they'd only made the switch earlier.


	Timothy D. "Wookie" Witham is lab director at the Open Source Development Labs, an industry-backed, nonprofit corporation that enables development and testing of data center- and communications-grade Linux enhancements. He can be reached at operating_systems @computerworld.com.

From the Linux perspective, the innovator's dilemma boils down to a single question: "Is Linux 'good enough' to handle my company's IT tasks?" If so, it pays to switch, because you know Linux will only get better with time.
Which brings us to the second topic:
2. The only business model that counts is your company's business model. Does it matter if your suppliers' software strategies are no longer the same as yours? It does only if you're worried more about supplier comfort level than the long-term health of your company.
3. Linux is a supported operating system. Just because the development model is open doesn't mean the support model is any different than what you'd find with a proprietary OS. If you're a small to medium-size company, you get your support from the system vendor, integrator or value-added reseller that delivered the software. If you're a large company, you get support from the actual distributor and developer of the OS.
4. Linux has a development road map. Again, you have to look at the vendor/distributor level to find it, but it's there. Each vendor you go to will have a one- to three-year road map laying out the exact features it expects to

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