THE CHANGING LINUX LANDSCAPE. The cloud, community distributions and devops are dramatically impacting the market

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1 THE CHANGING LINUX LANDSCAPE The cloud, community distributions and devops are dramatically impacting the market Trends such as cloud computing and devops whereby application development and deployment are merging are driving increased use of Linux, bringing more options, challenges and opportunities to vendors and users alike. Analyzing the Business of Enterprise IT Innovation CAOS COMMERCIAL ADOPTION OF OPEN SOURCE 4 FINDINGS Cloud computing is changing the market for the Linux server OS, giving users additional OS and support options, including Amazon, Eucalyptus, Microsoft, Nimbula, Google, OpenStack, Oracle and others. PAGE 24 We ve already identified the broad presence of Linux and open source in the cloud, but Linux is particularly prominent in the merging of application development and deployment known as devops. This positions Linux uniquely for the PaaS market. PAGE 29 Linux distributions beyond market leaders RHEL and SLES such as Ubuntu, CentOS and Fedora are more prominent in the cloud, typically driven by cost, flexibility and customization factors. PAGE 25 The continuing impact of unpaid community Linux use by enterprises is accentuated by cloud computing. PAGE 6 5 IMPLICATIONS Linux distributions that have parallel community versions see the most deployment and paid use. These include RHEL, Canonical s Ubuntu and SLES. PAGE 25 Additional server OS and support options from Oracle, Microsoft, Amazon and others, as well as community Linux distros, mean enterprise customers have more choice than ever. PAGE 19 Cloud computing is keeping Linux front and center in today s enterprise IT environment, but it s also abstracting the type of Linux and vendor used, since cloud access blurs the lines in terms of commercial backers and paid support. PAGE 30 Community Linux distros are often favored for cost savings and the ability to customize them, which can be crucial in the cloud. PAGE 21 Commercial distros are still being differentiated with capabilities for performance, scalability, security, virtualization and cloud systems management, thus growing paid use of Linux. PAGE 8 1 BOTTOM LINE Cloud computing, additional competitors and choices, and the new way of developing and deploying enterprise applications known as devops are all driving and disrupting the Linux server market to bring challenges and opportunities particularly in PaaS to both vendors and users. SEPTEMBER 2011

2 REPORT SNAPSHOT TITLE The Changing Linux Landscape ANALYST Jay Lyman, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Software RELEASE DATE September 2011 LENGTH 42 pages ABOUT THIS REPORT For years the enterprise Linux market has been dominated by two versions of the OS: Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. But significant changes are already under way, ushered in by cloud computing, wide use of other distributions such as Ubuntu, and continued use of unpaid community Linux such as CentOS and Debian. In addition, other distributions like Oracle Linux continue to evolve and grow, as do the providers of Linux support, which now include Microsoft. These additional competitors and choices, and the new way of developing and deploying enterprise applications known as devops, are driving and disrupting the Linux server market to bring challenges and opportunities particularly in PaaS to both vendors and users. This report is intended for executives, developers, vendors and investors interested in learning about the latest directions and extensions of Linux, and how this changing market landscape is likely to affect their organizations. It focuses on market dynamics, including competitive analysis of various Linux distributions, analysis of adoption drivers and hurdles, and customer use cases highlighting how Linux is put to work in today s cloud environments. Given our previous findings on the prominence of Linux and open source in cloud and mobile computing, there is no doubt that the ongoing development and competition in the Linux space have significant implications for the entire enterprise IT market.

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY KEY FINDINGS METHODOLOGY SECTION 2: LAY OF THE LAND A BRIEF HISTORY OF LINUX ON X86 HARDWARE THE MARKET DOMINANCE OF RHEL AND SLES LINUX IN CLOUD COMPUTING AND MOBILE DEVICES UNPAID COMMUNITY LINUX MARCHES ON FIGURE 1: Commercial and Community Linux SECTION 3: THE PLAYERS TODAY RED HAT SUSE CANONICAL ORACLE CENTOS SECTION 4: THE DISRUPTORS CLOUD COMPUTING UBUNTU IN THE CLOUD UNPAID LINUX FIGURE 2: Paid vs. Unpaid Linux MICROSOFT AND LINUX SECTION 5: DRIVERS OF LINUX IN THE CLOUD COST AND LICENSE MANAGEMENT CUSTOMIZATION AND FLEXIBILITY DEVOPS AND PAAS THE CHANGING LINUX LANDSCAPE

4 SECTION 6: CHALLENGES FOR LINUX PAID SUPPORT ADDRESSING THE MARKET CONTINUED CONTRIBUTION DEVOPS SECTION 7: USER PERSPECTIVES JACKPINE TECHNOLOGIES MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY VANILLA FORUMS FIGURE 3: The Three C s of Today s Linux SECTION 8: IMPACT AND CONCLUSIONS IMPLICATIONS COMPETITION M&A IMPLICATIONS SHORT-TERM EXPECTATIONS LONG-TERM EXPECTATIONS INDEX OF COMPANIES 43

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