To:
John Smith
From:
Shivangi Gosai
Date:
9th june 2014
As
per what we discussed during our last meeting, here I present you with my views
based on research I carried out during the period of last two weeks regarding the
idea of migrating to Linux i.e. having ubuntu as an operating system of choice.
Let me first put some light on the issues that our company needs to find a way
for. One is the operating cost on the installation of operating systems which
will exceed the company’s expected budget on expansion of our business and the
other is the cost on system management and support.
Our company generally uses an Internet browser, a word
processing program, the occasional spreadsheet, an email application and almost
nothing else. For having and utilizing all these we are paying around $150 for the Operating System that
costs us $375000 and another $300 or more for the office suite--most of which
we'll never use , costs us $750000 for 2500 employees. Why add hundreds of
dollars to a computer system that has a life expectancy of three to four years?
Alternatively, Ubuntu is free i.e. $0 cost for operating system. We can
download any version of it and use it for any purpose. Upgrades are also free.
Linux also comes with a free office suite, (OpenOffice.org ) that includes
Microsoft-compatible applications. They look and behave so much like Microsoft's
office suite that one may never realize any difference between the two.
Our Windows computers
need an anti-virus program that hinders performance, anti-spyware software that
we have to run manually to scan for all the nasties that invade our computing
habitat, and a personal firewall to ward off those over-the-network attackers. However,
there's no need for any anti-virus software or anti-spyware applications on
Linux, which comes with a personal firewall, if we want to use it. So again the
cost of purchasing anti-virus is diminished. Also according to the
Communications- Electronics Security Group (CESG), the group within the UK
Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) that assesses operating systems
and software for security issues has found that while no end-user operating
system is as secure as they’d like it to be, Ubuntu is the best of the lot.
Also, Canonical releases
major versions of Ubuntu every six months in April and in October of each year.
Every two years, Canonical releases a Long Term Support (LTS) version.
Canonical supports the LTS versions for five full years with updates, security
fixes and upgrades-all free of charge.
Now, considering the
second issue, the advantage that Ubuntu gives is the professional support
package from Canonical, with Landscape, a systems management tool, built for
running large-scale Ubuntu deployments on desktop, server or cloud. Landscape
provides a single, easy-to-use, browser-based control panel, through which we
can manage our machines from anywhere. With Landscape, we can manage thousands
of systems as easily as we can manage one. In fact, a single instance can
manage up to 40,000 Ubuntu machines. It means that, whether we currently support
five Ubuntu installations or five thousand, it will handle the workload with
ease. Thus, this ‘scalability’ makes it different from a script-based solution
developed in-house. Furthermore, EMA’s (Enterprise management associates) analysis has determined that Landscape can significantly cut operational costs, providing a projected return-on-investment of over 1000% and an investment payback period of just two
months. i.e. Landscape could save a 1000-desktop firm $688,000 every year , a 1,121% ROI with 2
month investment payback period.
The Linux alternative
puts most of us at odds with the accepted philosophy that Windows is the only
choice for desktop computers and servers. The Linux concept requires that we
should step outside the standard box that Microsoft has placed in us, and
realize that we have a choice that makes sense for us and our business. For
every major hardware upgrades with each new version's arrival, we are tired of
vendor lock –in , high support costs, and runaway software prices, here Ubuntu
makes sense. Ubuntu, Canonical and our business can make the perfect team and
create the perfect environment to protect our company and our customers.
For any questions,
please contact me.
Regards,
Shivangi Gosai
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