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New Operating Systems

By: Charlene Blohm

8/1/2008

Leopard, Vista, and now Linux are confounding users with the question of when and what to upgrade. How does a district's decision to upgrade or change OS affect your ability to sell?

1. Why are schools likely to upgrade their OS?

   Actually, the question is really when are schools likely to move up the OS chain because at a certain point, all computer users must upgrade. When schools upgrade is a matter of: a) the age of their current installed base (and that could vary greatly from building to building); b) investment or interest in applications that run only under a new OS; c) the amount of teacher/student training required for the upgrades; d) tech support (training and deployment of) required; e) budget and funding. Generally speaking, districts are not likely to make a major shift in operating systems until they buy new hardware. If an existing system is good enough, schools usually stick with an older product for as long as they can.

2. Are schools moving over to Linux? If so, why?

   Linux is making headway. The 2006 America's Digital Schools report (www.ads2008.org) showed about 13,000 units in 2006 with more than 300,000 units predicted for 2011, an anticipated increase of 83 percent. Some districts have elected to migrate to Linux primarily because of cost issues or general frustration with OS release cycles and upgrades. As the open-source community convinces more software providers to code for Linux, the migration may increase. Larger districts with skilled IT departments are serious about Linux, primarily because of the savings. Many Linux users also swear by the stability of the open-source platform and over time it may emerge as the platform on low-cost laptops.

3. What is a district's biggest concern when upgrading or switching OS?

   Hidden costs, compatibility with existing hardware and software, tech support staffing, training expenses, maintenance, total cost of ownership, to name a few. How hard is it to hire people to support this OS? Will local businesses poach them once the district trains them? For larger districts, maintaining the system can become part of their IT staff's day-to-day responsibilities. Other districts may look to a third-party service provider. There is a great market opportunity for vendors to create turnkey systems for smaller and mid-sized districts.