ACADEMIA

Most mid-sized enterprises are simply not interested in Linux, according to a recent study by Info-Tech Research Group, a leading technology research firm. A tiny 10 percent of mid-sized enterprises plan to evaluate Linux within the next three years and only a portion of these will actually adopt it. "Just 27 percent of mid-sized companies currently have Linux installed and almost half of the respondents said they have no interest in Linux. The Linux advance into this market has stalled," says Frank Koelsch, Executive Vice President of Info-Tech Research Group. "Microsoft still dominates this market and is the clear leader for mid-sized companies," he adds. "Linux was initially hot, but interest has substantially declined. Companies are past the hype and taking a much more cautious approach towards Linux." The study highlighted the divide that is occurring between large companies who are increasingly embracing open source, and smaller companies who remain Microsoft-centric. Of the companies who did not already have Linux installed, 48 percent have no interest whatsoever and a further 15 percent are not sure. "An important consideration for any mid-sized enterprise evaluating Linux is that although Linux is free, the support for it is not," says Koelsch. "For smaller organizations that already have a trained Windows-based support staff, adding Linux to the mix can add headcount, complexity and create havoc," he continues. "Unless there is a compelling business reason to implement a Linux system, IT decision makers in mid-sized enterprises should stick to Microsoft solutions, even though they are not perfect either." The findings and trend analysis are included in Info-Tech Research Group's annual "IT Priorities 2005" report. With over 1,400 companies responding, it is the largest annual survey of its kind. The study focused on mid-sized enterprises in the US, Canada and the UK. With a paid membership of over 25,000 worldwide, Info~Tech Research Group is the global leader in providing IT research and analysis to the mid-sized enterprise market. It is North America's fastest growing full-service IT analyst firm.