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As of 2024, 40 million desktops (approximately) are running Linux, and the growth is exponential. Linux is significantly faster than windows, and it's far more reliable, and of course its free, all points driving its uptake.
GEN has been using Linux since its predecessor; Unix (PrimeOS, HP-UX, AIX, Solaris, SCO, BSD) back in the late 80's, and our support teams are Linux first skilled. Our entire infrastructure is linux based including our routing, switching, firewalls, servers, telephony and virtualisation. With such a wealth of knowledge and experience, we're perfectly placed to provide 24/7 Linux support, both Desktop and Server for our customers.
Linux can look exactly like Windows, which greatly reduces the learning curve and immediately wins over end users, and its snappy speed compared to Windows seals the deal. In all the companies who have embraced Linux for their desktops, we've never yet had one who've gone back to Windows, and we've been doing this for a long time. With proper support and training, Linux can dramatically inprove performance and significantly reduce costs.
| Feature | Windows | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Vulnerable to viruses and malware | More secure, less prone to viruses |
| Reliability | Prone to crashes and blue screens (BSOD) | Highly stable, can run for years without rebooting |
| Performance | Often slows down over time | Maintains performance, works well on older hardware |
| Cost | Expensive licensing fees | Free and open-source |
| Customization | Limited customization options | Highly customizable, from UI to kernel |
| Updates | Forced updates, often at inconvenient times | User-controlled updates, minimal disruption |
| Privacy | Data collection concerns | Respects user privacy, no built-in tracking |
Windows is expensive, and Microsoft are the only vendor still charging for an operating system, with Apple giving away MacOS for free, and of course linux is free. Currently, Windows 11 Pro costs £199 per seat for small business, and enterprise customers can negotiate that down to somewhere around £50, but Microsoft is pushing enterprise customers into subscription models with E3 or E5 costing from £28 to £60 per month!
| Seats | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Enterprise E3 | Windows 11 Enterprise E5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £199 | £336 | £720 |
| 10 | £1,990 | £3,360 | £7,200 |
| 100 | £19,900 | £33,600 | £72,000 |
| 500 | £99,500 | £168,000 | £360,000 |
| 1,000 | £199,000 | £336,000 | £720,000 |
| 10,000 | £1,990,000 | £3,360,000 | £7,200,000 |
And those are just the basics for Windows 11, and on top of that you will need to pay a subscription for an endpoint protection solution to protect windows from compromises and vulnerabilities which can add another £2-15 per seat.
So what's stopping companies breaking away from Microsoft and the massive costs its brings? Microsoft keeps businesses by (a) tying them up in subscriptions, (b) negotiating deals to keep companies looking at alternatives, and (c) delivering tools like Active Directory that makes migration harder. However, Active Directory which allows centralised management was based on LDAP, a centralised directory system which itself was based on X.500 DAP. Linux isn't burdened with just one centralised management solution; you can choose between OpenLDAP, Kerberos and FreeIPA (A combination of LDAP & Kerberos) providing single-sign-on and centralised management. Linux provides a far greater control over access and resources which simply isn't possible with Windows without third party software.
Linux is not like Windows, there are many flavours of Linux available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. We fully support Arch, Rocky, Alma, Redhat, Fedora, Kali, Mint, Debian, Nix, SuSE and Ubuntu, and we can support most others. This wide choice also allows detailed customisations, your brand colours, logo's, and artifacts embedded directly into Linux.
Yes, there is a learning curve with linux, it's not like Windows under the hood and for staff who've supported windows for any period of time there's work to do, but Linux isn't hard, it's really not, and Linux is fully supported by companies like GEN and many others who provide comprehensive technical and installation support to businesses, and we can even train your staff on installing, configuring and maintaining Linux both desktop and servers.
We provide both maintenance (pre-paid) support with strong service level agreements, and per incident support at very competitive rates and, like Linux, we're snappy to respond and get your issues resolved promptly.
