Feasibility Study on Changing a Company’s
Computer System from Windows to Linux
John Doe
Head of IT Services, The Business Company
John Nosek
IT Software Engineer, The Business Company
5/20/05
Table of Contents
Abstract. ............................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction. ...................................................................................................................... 4
Collected Data. .................................................................................................................. 5
Conclusion. ........................................................................................................................ 7
Glossary. ............................................................................................................................ 8
Works Cited. ...................................................................................................................... 9
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Abstract.
With the upcoming upgrade of the company’s computer systems, The Business
Company is offered the perfect change to make a change from a Windows Operating
System to a Linux Operating System. With Linux offering more security, the same
software features as Windows, and a cheaper licensing fee, the company could decrease
system downtime and system cost. A switch of operating system, though drastic, should
be pursued as more and more companies are switching everyday, though the only
hindrance is the existing end user. If the employees are unwilling to make the effort to
adapt to the change, the benefits will never be realized.
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Introduction.
For the upcoming upgrade of The Business Company’s computer systems a
decision needs to be made on what operating system the company wishes to use on the
new machines. Instead of normally choosing a Windows-based OS like Windows 2000
or Windows XP, the company should consider a Linux-based OS as an alternative. One
of the leading Linux Operating Systems gaining ground in the PC Market is Red Hat
Enterprise Linux, which is specifically geared towards large corporate environments.
With growing security concerns and the rising costs of Windows licenses, many
companies like IBM and Novell have already made the switch. This report is based on
the feasibility of the company switching to Red Hat Enterprise Linux for the new
computers and is meant to inform upper management on the appropriate course of action
to take. The two main sources of information for this report are the website for Red Hat
Enterprise Linux and an article from LinuxQuestions.org entitled “Switching to Linux
from Windows.” The topics covered in this report are how easy this changeover can be
and how it will benefit the company.
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Collected Data.
There are several areas of concern where a switch from Windows to Linux would
be beneficial; security, ease of use, and cost.
The basis of the whole Linux operating system was built around the idea of
security and a Microsoft computer has yet to be as secure as a Linux computer. With Red
Hat Enterprise Linux you get weekly security updates for your OS, just like Windows, to
keep up with changing computer threats. Also, the number of hackers and viruses
targeted towards Linux Networks and Systems are no where near the number targeted
towards Windows Systems. Since Windows is running on about 97% of the computers in
the world, about 97% of the viruses and worms created are targeted against and exploit
Windows.
When many people hear Linux, the thought of learning a new computer
environment initially frightens them away. However, the recent versions of Linux are
just as user friendly as any GUI* (all terms followed by an asterisk are defined in the
glossary, pg. 8.) environment, and their ease of use increases with each update. The Red
Hat Enterprise distribution comes with many features similar to Windows along with
many unique features and an array of applications allowing the ability to continue to
work with and edit all of the existing data on the company computers and networks.
The Red Hat desktop is set up very similar to the Windows desktop and is very
easy to become accustomed to. Not only does it feel similar, but it also adds some new
functionality that Windows lacks like the Dock Bar at the bottom of the screen instead of
the traditional windows task bar. The Dock bar can be fitted with custom modules to
display all sorts of things. Some modules include a clock, world clock, weather,
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calendar, e-mail notification, desktop switcher, website update notification, important
company notifications, and any custom module the company may need to create.
The Enterprise distribution also comes fully loaded with open source*
applications for editing all sorts of documents. For images, Red Hat provides GIMP*,
which is a very robust image editor very similar to Adobe Photoshop. For working with
existing Microsoft Office documents, Red Hat offers the OpenOffice suite, which comes
with separate programs to edit and create Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and
PowerPoint Presentations. Finally, for the software developers, the Enterprise
distribution has the full GNU GCC* compiler along with an array of debugging and test
editing programs.
Not only is Red hat Enterprise Linux user friendly on the client side, it is also user
friendly on the IT Support side since Linux was built around networkability. Many client
side issues can be fixed remotely by IT staff. The Enterprise Server Distribution also
comes with many open source server applications that can be used, including the Apache
Web Server, MySQL Database Server, and an E-mail Server. There is no open-source
alternative to Oracle* or SAP* servers, but if you already have an Oracle or SAP license
you can obtain the Linux version of the software to run on any Linux Server.
The final area of concern is the cost benefit from choosing a Red Hat Enterprise
Linux license over a Windows 2003 license. Both companies offer completely different
pricing schemes, so their standard packages will be compared. Microsoft’s current price
for a 20 computer license is $2,761 where Red Hat Enterprise’s price for a 50 computer
license is $3500. The cost difference can be easily seen, and with a full assessment from
the IT department on the configurations we need, the cost could drop even more.
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Conclusion.
From all of the findings, a switch to Linux with improve system security, will still
allow easy use and access of all company data, and will save the company on operating
system licensing fees. The company also stands to save money on software licensing
fees since the Red Hat Linux Enterprise distribution comes with many free, open source
equivalents of traditionally used Windows office software. This report shows that the
switch from Windows to Linux would be very easy to accomplish physically. The only
hindrance is the ability of the current employees to adapt to the Linux environment. It is
very quick and easy to learn the Linux environment, but not many employees may be
willing to take the time or give the effort to support this drastic change. As this report
summarizes, the change from a Windows OS to a Linux OS would be beneficial and is
recommended for the company to pursue, but a case study should be performed on how
well it would be accepted by the employees. The change should only me abandoned if
the employees will fail to make the small effort to adjust to the new and different
environment of Linux.
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Glossary.
GIMP -
GIMP Is My Photoshop
GNU GCC - The widely used, universal standard C and C++ compiler for Linux under
the GNU public open source license.
GUI -
Graphical User Interface. The traditional user interface of a screen and
mouse used on a computer.
open source - Software written with its source code freely available so programmers can
change and edit the software for changes or improvements.
Oracle -
A very powerful, commercial database server. It has been written for a
wide variety of operating systems.
SAP -
A very extensive ERP planning system used to track everything from
finances, to marketing, to business, to manufacturing and production in
large corporations and businesses. It has been written for a wide variety of
operating systems.
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Works Cited.
LQwiki. Jan 21, 2005. Switching to Linux from Windows.
http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Switching_to_Linux_from_Windows. (20,
May 2005).
Microsoft, Inc. 2005. Windows Server 2003.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/default.mspx. (20, May 2005).
Red Hat, Inc. 2005. Red Hat | The Open Source Leader. http://www.redhat.com/. (20,
May 2005).
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