The Promise Of Open Source
By Ramdas S and Sonal Desai
Linux and open source technologies have started gaining acceptance and momentum with a host of technologies associated with FOSS having reached levels of maturity that are comparable with the best the proprietary software world has to offer. A perceived lower cost of ownership has been pushing enterprises and SMBs to switch to open source-based solutions.
According to Springboard Research, Linux on the server platform has grown its way to a prominent position in the Indian server OS market with its adoption rate increasing from 7 percent to 8.1 percent (and rising) over a 13-month period since April 2009.
Analyst firm Brown & Mohan says that the Linux subscription business has grown from around $6 million in 2006 to $26 million in 2010.
A study commissioned by software major Novell, which sells Suse, a popular enterprise Linux flavor, revealed that 50 percent of CIOs among a sample of large Indian enterprises said that they use Linux or some form of open source software. When the question was posed to MIS managers within the organizations polled the affirmatives went up to 70 percent. “The survey pointed out that the penetration of Linux and FOSS technologies is deeper than what we thought it was. The fact that many large users are keen to explore open source alternatives is pleasing. However, apart from some of the large enterprise systems integrators (SIs) such as Wipro and niche players such as MAAS in Kolkata or OS3 Infotech in Mumbai, the majority of mid-market resellers have not quite tapped the potential,” says Sandeep Menon, Country Head, Novell India.
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