The Power of Linux (Almost) Everywhere

Linux -- the free open source operating system for enterprise, small business and home computing use -- is not used everywhere yet. However, its user base crosses nearly every industry.

Linux is in many places today. It's in consumer products like TVs and computer networking gear. Linux drives services that users do not even know run Linux. Think in terms of servers, Big Data farms and cloud storage facilities. The analytics and Big Data marketplaces host and run platforms and applications on top of Linux in data centers and in the cloud.

The Linux OS certainly is evolving in the connected car space, for example. Linux also is embedded in many appliances. It often controls the sensors in industrial machines, navigational gear and medical instruments.

"Increasingly, I see Linux used in a wide range of industries and quite a wide range of use cases. As companies continue to become aware and comfortable enough with it, Linux adoption will continue," said Kerry Kim, open source software marketing and product management professional at Suse.

Often people in enterprise are more familiar with the concept of open source technology -- but they are less informed about the power and greater flexibility that the Linux operating system brings compared to other platforms.

The word is spreading about the reliability of open source. Many of the early concerns about Linux and open source have subsided, as companies have learned about the successes others had in using them to improve their competitive position, Kim told LinuxInsider.

"Companies are becoming more willing to try Linux and open source technology. We still see companies that have never tried Linux. Some are just very conservative. Some companies do not think they need it," he said.

Other companies just need more time and exposure to discover the power of Linux. Often that happens slowly and in partial migrations.

Kim recalled a recent technology gathering in Boston, where he met with the CIO of Welch's, the company that makes all those juice products. The CIO mentioned that he was thinking about trying Linux.

"We were all surprised that he had not tried it yet," Kim said, but "seeing a company like Welch's get to that step is encouraging."

Originally posted here:
The Power of Linux (Almost) Everywhere