Unless We Change Core Business Functions, Microsoft Isn't Going Away.

A few months ago, I switched to Linux as my primary desktop operating system. In doing so, I found the transition process to be relatively easy and pain free. And over the last few months, I have become so comfortable using Linux that I cannot see myself switching back to Windows. Because of my newfound love for the Linux operating system and the sense of openness that it brings to the operating system market, I have begun to wonder why larger business do not adapt to Linux-based operating systems.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? Especially, if Microsoft is currently in a battle for relevance. A large business could dump their Microsoft licensing subscription, install Linux-based operating systems on all of their computers, and run more productively while saving a boatload of money. Sounds easy, right?

While this situation would be ideal, the fact of the matter is that phasing out Windows is not as easy as one would think. While Linux-based servers are simple enough for an IT department to implement, there is one aspect of workstations that often makes the migration to Linux a challenge: the users. You see, many end-users in an enterprise environment are unable to function on anything other than the Microsoft Windows operating system. This is indeed understandable, simply because the enterprise users who use Windows have often been doing so for a number of years. Thus, moving desktops to Linux would do nothing more than confuse them, and this would in turn lead to a loss of productivity; something that no business can afford to lose in our current economy.

On top of this, many office environments depend on software that simply can not be installed on Linux. Even with emulation products such as WINE, the fact of the matter is that the only way to run some applications in Linux is to do so through a virtual installation. However, in order to do so, companies would need to purchase Windows licenses anyway, defeating the whole purpose of a Linux migration

Sure, there are software alternatives out there, but the sad fact remains that companies such as Intuit, Microsoft, and Adobe have a dominance in the software market, simply because their products are seen as the de facto. Even if a company were able to migrate themselves to Linux-based operating systems and Linux-comparable software alternatives, many third-party consultants such as accountants rely on the industry standards in Windows software. Having said this, if a company were to switch to non-Microsoft software, there are sure to be situations where they will not be able to function with other companies.

Now, you may be asking yourself why said businesses and enterprises cannot simply move to the Macs, and like with Linux, there are several reasons behind this. First off, even though a lot of software developers make versions of their product available for Mac OS, there are a lot of situations where the Mac version of said products are not as feature-rich or productive as their Windows counterparts. This can be seen in products such as Intuit’s QuickBooks accounting platform, which is well known for not having the same level of features or performance as the Windows version has.

Additionally, running Mac OS requires Apple hardware. This in itself is significantly more expensive than the lower-end “PC” hardware that is typically seen on Windows workstations.

At the end of the day, Microsoft provides a “happy medium” in the sense that their products are obviously more expensive than the free Linux operating systems, yet less expensive then running Apple desktops in a large scale. Combine this with the fact that Windows is a worth-while investment for companies that want to have a familiar and comparable environment for their users and third party software.

So, the reality exists that Microsoft has a true upper-hand in the field of desktop operating systems. And because it’s often a struggle to move away from products in which an entire ecosystem has become dependent on the software, people often don’t see a need to. So even though Microsoft may often be looked down upon, we have to acknowledge that they are not going away anytime soon.