Virtualization may offer a significant advantage to Linux in the decade-old debate over Linux vs. Windows total cost of ownership (TCO). A new Gabriel Consulting Group survey (PDF) of mostly mixed-environment (that is, Windows and Linux) enterprises reveals significantly higher adoption of virtualization technology, with all the cost savings that go with it: less money spent on hardware and licensing fees.
It’s an interesting conclusion, but leads to an even more interesting question: why don’t Windows administrators take advantage of virtualization to the same extent as Linux administrators? The answer–licensing cost and complexity–is something that Microsoft has the ability, but not the interest, to change.
According to the survey, enterprises that predominantly use Linux virtualize roughly 30 percent more than those that prefer Windows, and heavier virtualization users do so much more aggressively on Linux systems than on Windows: Linux vs. Windows: Virtualization Trends(Credit: Gabriel Consulting Group)
The survey’s author reports that “Linux users have clearly both adopted virtualization at a greater rate and embraced it to a greater extent than customers who have standardized on Microsoft operating systems,” but why?
Perhaps the primary reason is that Microsoft didn’t really start to promote virtualization until long after the Linux crowd. This isn’t surprising: Microsoft has much to lose from virtualization. The fewer Windows server licenses an enterprise has to buy, the worse it is for Microsoft.
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