Why opensource?

January 25th, 2025

More and more companies are choosing the GNU/Linux operating system for their needs. Why?

It’s simple: any company opting for GNU/Linux saves significant money on purchasing proprietary software products from Microsoft. Open-source support is well-known to be much cheaper than purchasing products from the aforementioned corporation, which often requires even more maintenance than open-source solutions.

To compare, let’s conduct a small cost analysis of software for a medium-sized organization for a single workstation.

MS Windows 7 Professional

~140 EUR

MS Office 2010 Corp

 ~210 EUR
Other ~60 EUR

Thus, a computer that already costs ~175 EUR incurs an additional ~470 EUR in software costs. Now imagine if your company has hundreds of workstations that need upgrading.

Cost Comparison for Server Software in a Medium-Sized Organization

For analysis, we considered the most common list of server software typically used in organizations:

Windows 2008 R2

 From 580 EUR
Terminal access license (per user) From 17 EUR per user

Active Directory license

 –

Mail server (Exchange)

 From 350 EUR

Database (MSSQL)

 From 290 EUR

Firewall (Kerio WinRoute Firewall)

 175–3,500 EUR (depending on the number of network users)

Backup solutions

 From 560 EUR per server + 29 EUR per user
Other ~60–120 EUR

Microsoft server products (and others) are known for their high prices. Looking at the approximate invoice we compiled, you’re probably quite surprised. By using open-source solutions, these costs can be completely avoided.

Partial Transition to Open Source

In some cases, transitioning to open-source software is complicated due to the nature of the company’s operations. For example, a company manufacturing yacht masts or drive shafts may face challenges in retraining engineers to use new software. In such cases, engineers should be transitioned last. Instead, focus first on departments like accounting, HR, and marketing, where technical implementation is typically much easier. Additionally, you can migrate part of the servers.

What Products Does Open Source Offer?

  • Operating system: GNU/Linux
  • Office suites: LibreOffice/OpenOffice
  • A wide range of office utilities: From document scanners to sticky notes on the desktop. Open-source provides everything an office worker might need.
  • Professional tools: Designers can use GIMP or Pixel; engineers have FreeCAD, and more.
  • Complete solutions for home use: Video playback, music, fast internet surfing, multimedia programs, and games.

This list could go on indefinitely. 🙂

Key Advantages of Open Source

  • Free
  • Simple
  • Reliable
  • Low hardware requirements
  • Portable
  • Server/user solutions
  • Optimized
  • Quick deployment with short lead times

Benefits of Technical Implementation

Open-source offers numerous advantages that help system administrators quickly set up and deploy solutions. Standard configurations are much simpler to create and maintain.