LINUX ADOPTION

While admitting this was true till recently, vendors say they are working on more end-user and channel engagement programs.

Vendors should concentrate on educating end-users...

There has been an increase in the migration of Windows users to Linux. But
this percentage can be increased if

vendors concentrate on educating end-users about the benefits of Linux as an OS
and its reliability. For instance, students in engineering colleges should be
taught Linux free of cost, so that when they graduate and are employed in an
office, they can act as drivers for shifting that company’s OS to Linux.

Partners are ignorant about support...

Partners are reluctant to deploy Linux on their customer’s machines
because they do not know where to go for support if the OS is not compatible
with the hardware or some other problem arises. Also, partners who bundle Linux
with their systems, are not technically qualified or trained to offer post-sales
service. Therefore, they prefer to offer pirated Windows OS, which they are more
comfortable and conversant with.

Additionally, partners often import cheap components which do not have the
requisite drivers for Linux and therefore they cannot offer the OS as part of
the system.

Under-representation of Linux vendors in India...

There is only one Linux vendor in the country. So, if a reseller wants to
buy Linux of another company, he will have to approach their APac office, which
will again be a very lengthy process. If more vendors are present in the
country, it will build the channel and user confidence.

Also, these vendors can then offer Linux box packs keeping the Indian market
dynamics in mind. At the moment, most of the Linux box products are available in
US dollar rates, which turn out to be pretty expensive when calculated in Indian
rupees.

No support for downloaded OS...

Vendors do not offer support for Linux if it is downloaded from the Net.
These users have to post their queries on Linux forums online and then work
their way to get their problems solved.

Vendors should offer this support at a nominal cost to users, to create a
pleasant user experience. A happy user will help create the best word-of-mouth
publicity for the adoption of Linux.

Inadequate lobbying for anti-piracy laws...

If stricter anti-piracy laws are put in place and implemented then resellers
will not offer pirated OS to customers. And customers themselves might not be
comfortable paying high prices for software. In such a scenario, end-users will
go for a free OS like Linux. But there is no lobbying for stricter anti-piracy
laws by Linux vendors. The price–advatage on Linux should also be publicized
by vendors.

Phenomenal acceptance among corporates...

Till six months ago, it was true that users were not well aware of the
benefits of Linux. But now there is phenomenal acceptance of Linux among
corporates. In the desktop scenario, transition will take more time. But today
almost every vendor is offering PCs with Linux as an option, so users have an
option for OS migration. However, more end-user engagement is required and we
are chalking out plans on educating these buyers systematically.

Assured five-year support available...

During our channel interactions, we too got the feedback that partners were
unaware of where and how to offer support. We are now educating them on this.
This is also why we have come out with our enterprise range of products with an
assured support of five years for users. Of this, one year is physical support
for implementation, while the remaining four is virtual web-based support. These
products also have longer release cycles of 12-18 months, so partners can get
themselves certified during this time.

Local vendor presence will increase Linux growth...

Since Linux is freely downloadable, the real value of the product comes from
its support. Also training is a critical issue, therefore presence is critical.
We realized this, which is why we set up our base over two years ago. I agree
that if more vendors were present in India, then the growth of Linux would be
faster.

On-site support provided at cost...

Indian users find physical presence reassuring. We offer default support as
part of the box for free. On top of that if a user wants on-site support then we
provide it too, but at a cost. These charges are determined on the kind of
on-site support package a user needs and can be customized to suit the user’s
requirements.

Support for open source community...

As a company we are committed to providing support to the entire open source
community. We invest a lot on the development of the core product for different
business applications, and then offer support for it. So obviously, we have to
charge for these services. Our entire business is support and so the same cannot
completely come for free.

Educating users about Linux price-advantage...

While stringent anti-piracy laws are needed, these have to decided by the
government, not vendors. Also we prefer educating users on the benefits of
paying for a legal Linux software which is 20% cheaper than other OS and comes
with built-in support. We find it better to point out this distinction than
enforce laws.