Advantage keeping open mind

By RICHARD WOOD

Advantage Group is testing Open Source software for its internal desktop systems, and is already a significant user of the Linux operating system on its servers.

The listed technology company is a heavy Microsoft user but Linux and other Open Source software provide a free alternative to paying licence fees.

Operations manager Calum Maclean said 80 per cent of the company's servers were already on Linux.

But he said the number applied to the internal IT infrastructure of the company and did not take into account servers used by development teams within the company.

Maclean said Advantage Group's use of Linux was focused on areas where it fitted in easily and was not noticed.

"We use it for firewalls, web hosting, our VPN server, any of those sorts of key infrastructure things where Linux can provide an alternative that works fine in our Microsoft environment."

The company was trying Open Source desktop software and email servers as an alternative to Microsoft Exchange, but had made no major moves either way.

"We're happy to go with the Microsoft stuff for now, but we do keep an open mind and a long-term strategy on these things."

Maclean said a major problem in dealing with Microsoft at the moment was the software licensing changes due to take effect at the end of the month.

The changes were hard to understand, he said.

Advantage Group sells IT solutions based around both Microsoft and Open Source software.

Maclean said Advantage liked to offer the best solution for each customer.

"Sometimes that's going to be a Microsoft solution. Sometimes that doesn't fit in with people.

"Some companies can't afford to spend $5000 on software before they've got anywhere."