7 Business Advantages of Linux

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If you're looking for a more affordable way of running your office than Windows, an open source alternative like Linux can be a very good alternative. A lot of businesses needlessly stick with Windows because it is what they are familiar and comfortable with, but learning to use a Linux system is easy once you get that hang of it and it has many advantages, as you can see below...

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Install Once

If you're sick and tired of having to update Windows and reinstall it when something goes wrong, Linux will be a godsend because providing you install a stable release, you can pretty much install it once and, for the most part, leave it. Obviously, installing security updates would be a good idea, but you don't need to be as on-top of it as you are Windows because hackers and other people with malicious intent simply don't target Linux for the most part.

Cut Your Software Costs

When you switch to Linux, you won't just save a small amount on your software costs, you'll obliterate them. When you use Linux, you can access all manner of free pieces of software which are just as good as the expensive versions on Windows, and they come as standard. Sure, you can find open source software for Windows too, but it isn't always as good, and you have to go to the effort of installing it, which takes time, and therefore costs your business money.

Run Any Browser with Ease

If your business requires you to use multiple browsers, perhaps to test out some of the things on this software testing metrics list, Linux will make it a lot easier to do this because you can run native versions of everything from Firefox to Opera, and access betas and back ends, with ease.

Run Multiple Desktops

Linux not only makes it easy to run two monitors, but you can also virtually run multiple desktop screens using KDE and GNOME, via a simple switch. Because it is so easy to switch between desktops, you can really increase the productivity of your team.

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Easier to Customise

Linux is also a lot easier to customise, so if you have a particular needs that require you to do a lot of tinkering with your operating system and your software packages, Linux could make this a whole lot easier for you.

Linux is More Stable

Linux computers tend to be a lot more stable than the alternatives and can easily run for years without experiencing any issues at all. When your business relies on being constantly connected, this is an obvious benefit for you, as are the reduced maintenance and replacement costs.

It's Scalable

Windows needs a lot of very frequent hardware upgrades to cope with a growing number of resources as your company grows, but Linux is much more flexible and infinitely more scalable, which means you don't have to worry about costly upgrades quite so often.

Basically, Linux is cheaper, safer, more stable and much more cost effective, so what are you waiting for?

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This is a guest post by Fat Joe