Cloud Linux Growing In Popularity Among Enterprises

Microsoft has been the darling of the corporate world when it comes to cloud computing. However, Linux has gained a definite edge over the past couple of years and is on its way to becoming a major competitor for Microsoft in the enterprise market. In a recent report, the Linux Foundation announced that the investment in Linux among enterprises has increased for the third year running. This goes to show the progress the open source platform is making and the success it has achieved.

At the same time, there is a drastic skill shortage when it comes to Linux experts. A precious few people take up Linux as their field of expertise when working with software. This means that the number of Linux professionals is considerably lower than the corresponding figure for Windows and other OSs. However, that trend may very well change given the fact that Linux experts are able to command comparatively higher salaries. This could convince more people to learn the ins and outs of Linux.

World’s Leading Companies Banking on Linux

It is not as if small businesses and midsized companies have developed an interest in Linux. The leading companies in the world have increased their investments in Linux. Linux is becoming a preferred choice for cloud hosting for companies. This is evident from the fact that the server revenue for the Foundation in the last quarter for 2012 increased by nearly 13% from the same quarter in the previous year. Overall, the increase in annual revenue was just over 3%.

When comparing Linux’s performance to other leading providers, it is clear that it is growing in popularity. Even Windows only managed a 3.2% growth which is around 10% lower than Linux’s growth in the same quarter. While Windows at least sustained its growth, UNIX lost valuable ground. The revenue for UNIX during Q4 was down by almost 24%. Needless to say, Linux’s rise in this sector is affecting UNIX’s revenue considerably.

Enterprise Users More Than Happy With Linux

76% of the enterprises questioned in a survey named Linux as the best platform for cloud computing available to them at present. This means that there is a strong chance Linux will keep enhancing its position in the cloud market in the future as well. Not only this, around 74% Linux users have commented that they are going to increase their investment in the near future. They are going to make Linux the hub of their cloud computing initiatives.

With three quarters of the enterprises stating that they have deployed Linux in the past two years, it goes to show how well the open source platform has developed for cloud purposes. 80% of the users have said that they are going to continue using Linux for the foreseeable future, making upgrades and increasing their investment. On the other hand, a mere 20% of the respondents said that they are going to purchase Windows servers.

On the whole, the future looks quite bright for Linux when it comes to cloud computing. There is no doubt that it is growing in popularity among enterprises.

[Image via tmdhosting]