Is Linux Enterprise- Ready?

A decade back, an operating system silently sneaked into the information

landscape. It was hardly noticed, and those who did take cognizance wondered–could

a penguin survive the heat generated by proprietary software vendors? But it

stood the heat, and kickstarted the open-source revolution. The OS created by

Linus Torvalds in 1991, a college student then, to find a free alternate to the

expensive and proprietary UNIX operating system has grown far beyond any market

forecast. According to IDC, the Linux marketshare will expand to 41% by 2005.

Moreover, Linux is also the fastest-growing OS... For instance–it grew by 24%

in 2001. Clearly, Linux has become a force to reckon with.  

With

all the talk on Linux across the world, the key question that crops up is–Is

Linux really being adopted or poised to become the OS of choice for the

enterprises? Says Gautam Shroff, head of architecture technology consulting

practice at TCS–"We see Linux as a representative of open source in

general and it is becoming an emerging option for medium-scale business

applications. On the server side, many Linux systems are already running, but at

the desktop-end, open source solutions are less popular."

Some key issues that will determine the enterprise readiness of Linux will be

stability, reliability, and scalability–the benchmarks of proprietary

platforms. According to a recent study by Bloor Research, Linux is indeed

enterprise-ready. The study concluded that in terms of scalability, enterprises

looked at the horizontals and verticals. Security of the OS is one area where

vendors and enterprises need to pay more attention. Since the source code is

open, the OS is prone to hacking. But this is not a major issue and can be

countered by building firewalls directly into the Linux kernel. These indicate

that Linux will find many takers from the enterprise segment. 

Vendor initiatives 



Many vendors have jumped onto the Linux bandwagon. Here, the space is

cluttered with all major IT players offering Linux-based solutions. Apart from

solution providers, there are vendors like Red Hat and United Linux (Turbolinux,

Conectiva, SCO and SuSE) who offer their own versions of Linux, apart from the

big developers who usually tie up with vendors. For instance, Red Hat sells

packaged Linux OS. The difference between free Linux and the priced version is

that the kernel and the other aspects of the priced version of the OS are tested

for performance and reliability. On the other side of the spectrum, there are

players like IBM and Oracle, offering a slew of Linux-based solutions based on

packaged Linux OS. IBM, for one, is one of the first companies to realize the

potential of Linux. IBM products like WebSphere, DB2, Tivoli and Lotus are

already compatible with Linux. 

Says Sandeep Menon, Linux business manager, IBM (Asean), "Linux is an

integral part of IBM’s e-business corporate strategy. We looked at it a little

differently from companies that think of it as an end in itself. We see Linux as

the platform that integrates with other components to produce vibrant new

solution stacks. To this end, we have integrated it as part of our mainstream

business. We strongly believe in delivering the best of choices to our

customers, and in helping them choose the right solution based on their unique

requirements. Linux now forms an important component of that strategy."

Having pitched Linux as the preferred platform for the enterprise, IBM’s

early-mover advantage puts it in a comfortable position in offering a slew of

Linux based enterprise solutions.

With Big Blue empowering Linux, can database major Oracle be far behind? It

is not surprising to know then, that Oracle is the first company to launch its

commercial database on Linux. Today, all major Oracle products–its 9i

database, application server, Oracle Developer and eBusiness suites–are

available on Linux. Says Shekhar Dasgupta, managing director of Oracle India–"Oracle

has invested heavily in Linux in the past. Our latest version of the 9i database

software can run on a cluster of Linux servers. 9i Linux is a major milestone,

for it allows enterprises to manage multiple servers and very large databases

with relative ease. The best thing is that customers are getting the same

enterprise-class features available in proprietary solutions at the lowest cost

in terms of hardware and platform. We believe that Linux is more attractive

today than ever before..."

Meanwhile, Sun Microsystems, a Unix supporter all the while, is also taking

firm steps on the open source road. The company, despite having created an

OS-independent language like Java, is a very late entrant in the open-source

space. But with open source gaining ground the world over, the company has

adopted an aggressive stand. Sun has put in place a three-pronged Linux

strategy. While in India, the Sun LX series has only been soft-launched, in

time, the company intends to forge partnerships with Indian ISPs. Moreover, Sun

has adopted a totally new approach in the Linux space–unlike other

companies, it does not take sides with any particular Linux vendor. Instead, it

has come out with its own Linux-based solutions.

"Developing our own brand of Linux puts us in a advantageous position.

Because we know what we are providing, hence support becomes easier as there are

no third parties involved here", says KP Unnikrishnan, country head

(marketing), Sun Microsystems India.

Closer home, TCS is one Indian company that is doing pioneering work on

Linux. It also works in concert with IBM, Oracle and other major vendors on

various Linux initiatives. The company, at its state-of-the-art Sholinganallur

facility near Chennai, has put in place a Linux competency center. Here it

carries out benchmarking and load and stress testing of various Linux

applications. The center has developed an application called Webstore, which

runs on WebSphere and uses Oracle on Linux.

This application is being used for training performance-engineering

consultants within the company and has so far been tested for a 1,000 concurrent

users. The company also plans to port its UNIX-based application development and

re-engineering products like Mastercraft and Revine to the Linux platform.

Advantage enterprise



For over three decades, enterprise IT managers were looking for a platform

that’s stable and at the same time, reduces the total cost of ownership. The

growing awareness in the enterprise segment about Linux will usher in many

changes in the MIS policies of enterprises. However, analysts’ caution that

while Linux may have come of age, it may not yet be fully ready for all

enterprise applications. Reflecting on this, a Meta Group study says enterprises

need to initially build Linux-based skill-sets in-house. This will enable them

to judge the merits of the OS from a usability perspective. Despite the advice

to tread cautiously, major vendors are bullish about enterprise Linux adoption.

Says Menon, "We believe that Linux has emerged as a significant alternative

option in the enterprise space. It meets the critical enterprise demands–stability,

robustness, security and cost-effectiveness. Moreover, the highest degrees of

enterprise-class support are also available. "In fact, the beauty of Linux

is that it integrates some of the strengths of both NT and UNIX to produce the

perfect alternate that is just right for customers."

"Open source will remain an option for corporates and governments. Right

now, the development centers around medium-scale applications, but as the

adoption rate increases, more applications of mission-critical nature will come

into the Linux fold," says TV Kamalakkannan, TCS-IBM relationship

manager. However, the biggest driver that is going to accelerate enterprise

Linux adoption will come from total cost of ownership (TCO) of the OS. Given the

global economic recession, enterprise IT buying has been sluggish. Given that,

Linux delivers a significantly lower TCO since proprietary platform has issues

like licensing, hardware compatibility and version upgrades. These are

relatively easier and cheaper in an open-source IT architecture based on Linux.

Indian opportunity



In the Indian context, increasing Linux adoption by enterprises brings with

it immense opportunities. A recent Nasscom study says–"Influenced by the

usage of Linux by large IT users in the overseas market, and cajoled by its

cost-reduction and bottomline benefits, Indian corporates, government and public

sector outfits are showing a willingness to try Linux. Though Linux is poised to

invade the enterprise domain, there are still some concerns in the realm of

support regarding Linux applications." While actual support issues will

take a while to get identified as enterprise Linux deployments have not yet

reached a critical mass, this puts the Linux support issue in a very important

service domain. Keeping this in perspective, an IDC report suggests that the

Linux support service market is expected to grow to $285 million by 2004. While

this is a small slice, bigger opportunities will come from areas like

Linux-based embedded systems, animation services, open-source coding, testing

and reliability services. Many analysts believe that Linux will become a major

vertical practice for Indian software service players.

Linux: Uppers
	Vendor Independence: Open source software is not owned or controlled by any one developer or vendor. Hence enterprises can retain the choice of deciding on support and development partners either from a large pool of in-house or external resources.
	Cross platform Interoperability: Open source programs inherently support interoperability, since their interfaces are, by definition, available for all to see and use.
	Reliability and efficiency: It is now widely accepted that Linux can deliver levels of stability, reliability, and efficiency that are higher that many other traditional operating systems.
	Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Linux delivers significantly lower TCO through reduced or no licensing fees. An IDC study found that companies that migrated from UNIX/RISC could save up to 45 —85% of their infrastructure costs. For instance amazon.com saved $17 mn after migrating majority of its applications to Red Hat Linux.
Downers
	Needs standardization: With so many players in the fray, enterprises are confused by the question–which package of Linux to buy or implement?
	Decision-making: When a CIO opts for Linux, despite the merits, convincing the management will not be easy.
	Server centric: Linux usage as of now is very much centered on enterprise computing, hence needs to be popularized in the desktop space
	Support & Skills: Organizations have to evolve in-house skill sets to address many functional problems that may arise post-implementation of Linux-based solutions.

For Indian companies like TCS, Linux is already a major vertical practice.

The company has been working on IBM’s flagship Linux S/390 server platform

since its launch in the late 1990s. TCS has also installed Red Hat and SuSE

Linux. Given all this, TCS is perhaps one of the very few Indian companies with

a rich Linux experience. The company has developed a system administration tool

in Linux, which provides an interactive environment for creating user IDs,

user-specific reports and monitoring groups. The tool encapsulates the system

administration knowledge and provides complex functionality through a

user-friendly interface.

Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that Linux has also invaded the special

effects space. For instance, part of the special effects in motion pictures like

Titanic and Lord of the Rings was created on Linux. The animation market offers

immense potential to large companies and small developer groups who can now

offer special effects services to television and regional movies. Analysts are

optimistic that Linux will be adopted in a big way by the global and Indian

entertainment industry. 

To sum it up, Linux is set to redefine the enterprise IT market. That does

not necessarily mean the end for proprietary platforms. What open source

delivers is more freedom of choice for enterprise IT managers–this enables

them to evolve a flexible IT architecture, paving way for a healthy return on

their IT investments. And Linux is the crucial link in that value chain.

G Shrikanth



With inputs from TV Mahalingam in Bangalore, R Sreekumar (CNS) in
Thiruvananthapuram and Zia Askari (CNS) in Hyderabad

Linux in govt–Miles to go

In India there are around 2,450 government departments spread across 170,000

sites. Automating these departments calls for around 26,500 applications. What

it means is a huge opportunity for automation. While some government departments

have embraced IT, many still operate in a rudimentary fashion, depending on

manual processes. The reason some departments have adopted IT and some have not

are due to the economies of scale involved in any major IT implementation. And

whatever automation has happened so far was mainly on proprietary platforms. For

instance, Karnataka government departments literally run on Microsoft OS. As Dr

Ramana Reddy, director–IT and Biotechnology, Government of Karnataka puts it,

" Microsoft has been deployed on 90% of the desktops in all government

departments. In terms of open source like Linux, we have not yet made any

significant strides." So what deters government departments from adopting

Linux? Probably one answer could be the lack of awareness on the benefits of an

open source solution. 

But things seem to be gradually changing. Andhra Pradesh, the most IT savvy

state in India has started using Linux in one of its government departments. The

government has automated the state secretariat by using a solution called

Secretariat Knowledge Information Management System (SKIMS). The solution was

designed on the Oracle Linux database. SKIMS delivers an electronic workplace by

creating an office management system that cuts down duplication of work and

enhances productivity by providing a policy based processing. Says C S Rao,

joint director, eGovernance, GoAp, " SKIMS, though a small application gave

us the opportunity to test Linux in practical terms. While basing the solution

on Linux did usher in cost benefits, we did not initiate any other Linux

deployments. The reason for our cautious approach is mainly due to some conflict

in the Linux domain controllers in the solution," adds Rao. 

The drawback in one system cannot be the primary reason for not initiating

other Linux implementations in AP. The reason many believe is one of perception

within the government that proprietary is more reliable than open source.

Moreover, Linux compatibility and interoperability issues can be solved

effectively by writing appropriate codes that often fixes the issue. Let us

sample what Kerala has done. For instance, the Thiruvananthapuram Telephones

secondary switching area of BSNL has chosen Linux for its online telephone bill

payment solution, which it had recently implemented. Comments Mathew George,

general manager-finance, Kerala Circle Telecom, " The solution apart from

providing a user friendly interface for payment of bills also allows users to

download and print unpaid bills as well view their bills for the past two

years."

A local company–Linuxense Information System, a startup that provides open

source software solutions, developed the solution. According to Anil Kumar, vice

president, Operations, Linuxense, "Absolutely no proprietary software has

been used for running this web based solutions at BSNL here. It runs completely

on open source. The operating system used is GNU/Linux, known for its stability,

scalability, and security, and impregnability to virus attacks. The database

server runs on PostgreSQL, while the web server runs on Apache." Buoyed by

such stories, the Tamilnadu government has set up a committee to shortlist on

the kind of operating systems and applications government departments should

adopt.

In a developing geography like India, Linux offers immense value proposition

to the government departments. But the absence of a powerful lobby for Linux is

a major deterrent.