Report: SMBs Not Sold on Open Source
A new report tells us what we already knew: It's a Microsoft world, at least
as far as open source is concerned. This time, The 451 Group (Ray Bradbury fans,
perhaps?) took a look at the viability of open source software in the small
and midsize business (SMB, of course) space.
And guess what? SMBs aren't
so hot on open source. Why? Well, the report says that SMBs don't have big
enough IT budgets to make major changes to their Microsoft-dominated systems,
and besides that, they can't find the type of expertise they need to run open
source systems, anyway -- whereas MCSEs are all over the place. The report also
noted that the earth revolves around the sun and that Bill Gates is rich.
Seriously, though, we know that Linux-based servers are making significant
inroads into data centers and have been for a while, and we're not anti-open
source as far as the concept of open source development goes. (We are not always
as fond, however, of the open source "movement" and some
of its primary characters.)
But the moral of the story remains the same: It's still a Microsoft world,
and it's going to be for at least a while longer. And for Microsoft partners,
that's good news.
How much interest in open source do you encounter among your customers? Let
me know at [email protected].
Posted by Lee Pender on December 04, 2007