Sorry Guys but I have to but in on this one.Especially since I recently tried to get Linux into the company I work for. I am an IT Manager, and my department (35 user) is part of a larger group of companies total PC's on the whole network are around 80 spread over 4 offices.
I basically took stock of my departments situation, and can summarise it as follows: 1. We will be changing our MS Exchange mailserver by the end of this year due to the heavy licencing costs. 2. We are currently running an old application that will run only on Windows which 25 of the users use. This needs to be changed due to changes in our business environment within the next two to three years. However 14 of these 25 users interact with Malta Customs Department. www.ces.gov.mt. To use this site you must have IE 6 and Java 1.3. This site is so particular that if you use Java 1.4 it won't work! 3. Ten users only use Email, Word Processing and Spreadsheets. 4. We need to update our Windows Licences for servers and desktops, not to mention MS Office. So I presented the following plan based on a strategy to convert to Linux, in this order: 1. Migrate the mail server to a Linux box running something we could configure easily in house, such as Communigate Pro. 2. Migrate our central document storage (All users save their documents to a central Win 2K server) to a Samba Server that would temporarily be located on the mailserver. 3. Migrate the 10 users who spend all day on email and Word to Linux. Points 1 to 3 would happen by the end of 2004. 4. After changing our Operations Software (this would actually be at the end of 2005), migrate the 11 users I mentioned in point 2 above to Linux. So at the end of my plan we would have had 21 Linux desktops and two Linux Servers, with 14 Win XPs on the network. The result according to my calculations, a savings of about LM10,000 on licencing costs. Unfortunately my Linux pitch crash landed! The reasons presented to me: 1. Too much time will be wasted on retraining. 2. We want to keep a standard with all the group of companies. The other Offices in the group would not be able to migrate to Linux due to their interaction with third parties, whose systems demand Windows. 3. Lack of Linux knowledge by two of the other IT Branch managers led to them heavily opposing any change. 4. The idea of saving money on MS Office Licencing did go down well, since we could still run Open Office on Windows. However Free Software with no support? No thanks was the answer, we'll take Sun Office! 5. We outsource our Network Administraion and the company we use for the last 10 years only supports Windows. There is a very good relationship between our MD and the MD of our vendor, who was at the meeting, and I could tell that an anti Linux campaign had already been mounted far before the meeting in which I gave my presentation. So from my experience the issue at hand is Support. How many IT companies in Malta can actively and reliably support Linux? I can think of two. Megabyte and Philip Toledo. Anybody else can contribute to my list of two? Remember most businessmen do not really know anything about the details of how their IT is set up.They will then generally rely on someone they trust will give them guidance on what to do. If that someone doesn't know anything about a Linux network or how you can work with both Windows and Linux on the same network, then it's a non starter. That's my piece on this issue. Mario On Thursday 27 May 2004 09:58 pm, Philip Serracino Inglott wrote: > No sorry we are not after hard headed businessmen but we should target > their IT consultants, Finance people (OSS is free), > Lawyers (copyright issues) and potentially (this is my cunning plan) > their marketing people ... Remember Using Linux is COOL, a bit like > going Green! > > Philip > > On Thu, 2004-05-27 at 19:15, Keith Vassallo wrote: > > and completely ignore home users? > > > > There's not much more we can do for corporations as to writing articles. > > Remember, we're talking hard headed businessmen running micro-businesses. > > > > David Vella wrote: > > >I also believe that it is MUCH easier to introduce Linux to > > >corporations. > > > > > >Basically, most corporations wouldn't allow gaim or such non-work > > >related apps just the same. What is needed is that they say have 30 > > >machines, all pre-installed and customized with what the person needs > > >only. > > > > > >Just tell the IT managers .. > > > > > >1. More productive work from the people because with Linux you can > > >effectively block games etc. > > > > > >2. No more viruses on your network. > > > > > >3. Machines do not need to be of the latest specs. > > > > > >4. No need to buy upgrades etc. > > > > > >5. Most of the software is free. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >regards, > > > http://wwws.sun.com/software/javadesktopsystem/features.html > > >David Vella - GFI Software Ltd. - www.gfi.com > > >Messaging, Content Security & Network security software > > >GFI: FAXmaker - LANguard - MailSecurity - DownloadSecurity > > -- > Philip Serracino Inglott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > http://www.inkwina.net/ > -- > I hate it when my foot falls asleep during the day cause that means it's > going to be up all night. -- Steven Wright > > _______________________________________________ > MLUG-list mailing list > [email protected] > http://mailserv.megabyte.net/mailman/listinfo/mlug-list
