UK takes Linux to the heart of government

Open source software is a viable alternative to commercial proprietary software, with potential significant value-for-money benefits for government, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has concluded.

A newly published OGC report detailing the results of open source pilot schemes has advised that open source software has reached an acceptable level of development to offer a viable desktop alternative for the majority of government users.

It also dismissed claims that Linux is plagued by interoperability issues, saying that such concerns are no longer a major issue.

The bottom line, according to the OGC, is that open source software can generate "significant savings", particularly in conjunction with server consolidation and by delaying hardware replacement.

By extending the life of hardware Linux also has potential 'green' benefits, as fewer resources are consumed in producing new hardware and less waste is generated disposing of old machines.

The OGC's chief executive, John Oughton, said: "These pilots have provided us with valuable evidence on open source software. They show it could support government bodies by offering efficient and cost-effective IT solutions.

"Effective use of IT is a crucial element in the government's modernisation agenda. This report will assist public sector bodies in making informed, value-for-money judgements when deciding upon which solution best suits their needs."

The pilot schemes were carried out in partnership with a number of government bodies, IBM and Sun Microsystems, and allowed a number of public sector bodies to assess the potential benefits of open source software in a 'live' environment.

See also:

UK council dumps Microsoft for open source

Local authority anticipates savings of £1.4m with move to StarOffice  17 Nov 2004

Novell Desktop Linux ready to break Windows

Vendor prepares assault on Microsoft with Linux Desktop 9  08 Nov 2004

Linux cluster storage system takes off

Xilo Scalable Storage System provides appliance-based offering  05 Nov 2004

Dell deal boosts enterprise Linux choice

Gartner welcomes Dell/Novell partnership  01 Nov 2004

October date for OGC open source trials report

Findings from public sector open source pilots delayed by six months  28 May 2004

Open source

Linux is becoming the operating system of choice for an increasing number of corporates, and even the mighty Microsoft is acknowledging the threat ...  12 May 2004

The Open Debate

The pros and cons of Windows and Linux in enterprise IT  12 May 2004

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