Linux Adoption Grows on Big Data, Cloud, Virtualization: Survey

New and veteran users of Linux continue to embrace the platform at the expense of Windows and Unix, according to a recent report from the Linux Foundation. The report says that 84 percent of organizations currently using Linux have expanded its usage over the past 12 months, and continue to rely on it as the preferred platform for "greenfield" deployments and for mission-critical applications.

The report is based on survey responses from 428 information technology professionals from organizations with $500 million a year in revenue or 500 employees. Eighty percent of respondents plan to add more Linux servers in the next 12 months, and the same amount plan to do so in the next five years. Nearly 72 percent of respondents are choosing Linux to support "big data," and there was a clear preference for using Linux for virtualization and cloud computing as well. "We also expect to see it support the social enterprise, energy-efficiency projects, and an increasingly connected world in the year ahead," the report says.

Seventy percent of enterprise users turn to Linux due to its lower total cost of ownership, 68.6 percent for its features and technical superiority, and 63.6 percent for its security. Concerns about technical issues have fallen 40 percent, from 20.3 percent in 2010 to 12.2 percent.

From eWeek
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