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The Linux distillery In the black: Why Linux makes financial sense
The Linux distillery In the black: Why Linux makes financial sense | In the black: Why Linux makes financial sense |
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| by David M Williams | |
| Wednesday, 28 November 2007 | |
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Anyhow, you can read about it here. I received positive feedback on this point, with some asking me to talk more on TCO – particularly, young, smart IT professionals who could see opportunities to rationalise their organisation’s server farm but needed ammunition when it comes to dealing with the board and persuading them a switch to Linux is risk-averse and cost-effective. So, happy to oblige, here’s some views on why Linux isn’t just technically smart, but also a sensible business option too. These should help you put forth a case that will keep your chief financial officer happy. Preferably, it’ll also keep him away, too. I don’t know about your CFO, but mine bugs IT for help to change batteries and even requires instructions taped to the wall explaining how to fax. My tongue-in-cheek “Step 1: put document in machine. Step 2: dial number. Step 3: press big button” was perversely lauded as a masterpiece of concise precision. The first thing to note is that TCO is a term bandied about but yet often with meaningless arguments. Regularly you’ll find advertising pamphlets which list a bunch of pros and cons about a product and its competitor, but the points aren’t necessarily relevant or meaningful. This isn’t restricted to technology; I saw a car brochure which listed among its standout features compared to the opposition that it was “Swiss designed.” Now, although it may well be a fact the vehicle was designed by the Swiss, I didn’t see why this was necessarily a feature or benefit over another type of car designed elsewhere. Perhaps I am showing my ignorance of all things mechanical here, but I can’t imagine making a list of car features I want and putting “Swiss designed” up the top - but I might put “anti-lock brakes” if I felt that was important to me. So too, when a business selects technology it ought to be based on what the company’s business processes and requirements actually are. The technology choices need to support the way the company operates and what it needs; just like there’s only one election opinion poll that matters, this is the only list of features that matters. Whilst previously working at a University, I attended a series of presentations by IT students engaging in their real-world group project. |
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