Global Enterprises Increase Linux Adoption in Critical Growth Areas Including Cloud Computing

Annual survey of world’s largest enterprise Linux users shows strong and consistent growth due to demand for supporting cloud initiatives, Greenfield deployments and mission-critical workloads

SAN FRANCISCO, March 27, 2013 – The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced the findings of its 2013 Enterprise End User Report, “Linux Adoption: Third Annual Survey of World’s Largest Enterprise Linux Users.” The study conducted in partnership with Yeoman Technology Group tracks the growth of Linux use in large enterprises and identifies key trends that inform Linux operating system priorities.

Key findings from this year’s report show the world’s largest enterprises are increasing their investments in Linux for the third consecutive year. Industry reports for the most recent quarter (4Q12) show that while overall server revenue is only growing at 3.1 percent year-over-year; Linux experienced 12.7 percent year-over-year growth for the quarter while Windows only increased 3.2 percent and UNIX was down 24.1 percent. The Enterprise End User Report helps to inform the industry about what is driving this adoption and how market growth is shaping up for the future.

Enterprise organizations identify Linux as the dominant platform for cloud computing with nearly 76 percent using Linux servers for cloud and 74 percent planning to maintain or increase Linux use for future cloud initiatives. In the area of new applications, services and greenfield deployments, more than 75 percent of organizations report deploying Linux in the last two years.

A dramatic increase in the use of Linux for mission critical workloads has grown consistently year-over-year to reach 73 percent in 2013. Reliance on Linux for cloud and big data is a strong contributing factor. And, the future looks bright for the operating system with 80 percent of the world’s largest enterprises planning to increase their use of Linux servers over the next five years, while the number who plan to purchase Windows servers is at an all-time low of 20 percent.

Management’s perception of Linux remains increasingly positive with 95 percent viewing Linux as equally or more strategic to the organization than in prior years.  Specific concerns have plummeted with one exception. Rapid growth is contributing to growing concerns about finding trained Linux talent.  As a consequence, The Linux Foundation has seen enrollment in Linux training programs dramatically increase over the last few years and an increase in the number of enterprise users contributing to the Linux community.

“We see the growing success of Linux adoption in the enterprise, especially as it’s used for the most important areas of business, leading to the rise of Linux and collaborative development across many industries,” said Amanda McPherson, vice president of marketing and developer services, The Linux Foundation. “Having a realistic understanding of where Linux is gaining traction in the enterprise helps to inform vendors and users about how they can work together to advance Linux and the technologies it supports.”

To download the full report, please visit The Linux Foundation's Publications.

The findings are a result of a global survey conducted with members of The Linux Foundation’s End User Council as well as other companies and organizations with sales of more than $500 million and/or 500+ employees. The survey is intended to provide important guidance for Linux users, vendors and developers rather than provide an assessment of the overall penetration of Linux in the market.

The Linux Foundation Enterprise End User Summit will bring the council together with vendors and the development community on May 14-15, 2013 at the NYSE offices.

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux and collaborative software development. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system and collaborative software development by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Collaborative Projects, Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original research and content that advances the understanding of Linux and collaborative software development. More information can be found atwww.linuxfoundation.org.

Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen, and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.