IBM, Ubuntu Cloud Collaboration Package Seeks to Cut Down Microsoft Windows 7
2009-10-20
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Messaging-and-Collaboration/IBM-Ubuntu-Cloud-Collaboration-Package-Seeks-to-Cut-Down-Microsoft-Windows-7-719779/?kc=EWKNLNAV10212009STR1
In
time for the launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system Oct. 22,
IBM released an Ubuntu Linux-based hybrid cloud computing and desktop
solution for businesses looking to save some money by taking the hosted
software and open-source route. IBM said its Client for Smart Work
package is geared to help companies save up to 50 percent per seat on
software costs versus a Microsoft-based desktop.
IBM
Oct. 20 aimed to cut the legs of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system
out from underneath it by offering an Ubuntu Linux-based cloud
computing and desktop solution for businesses looking to save some
money via the hosted software and open-source route.
IBM
Client for Smart Work includes the free word processing, spreadsheets,
presentations from IBM Lotus Symphony; e-mail from IBM Lotus Notes or
the company's new LotusLive iNotes cloud-based e-mail application,
which starts at $3 per user per month; and the LotusLive.com social
networking and collaboration tools, which cost $10 per user per month.
These applications will run on Canonical's Ubuntu open-source Linux distribution for desktops, laptops, netbooks and servers.
Citing
recent Gartner research that said migration to Windows 7 could cost
businesses around $2,000 per user due to new PC requirements, IBM said
its Client for Smart Work package is geared to help companies save up
to 50 percent per seat on software costs versus a Microsoft-based
desktop. This is because the solution lets companies run a combination
of Web-based applications and Linux on their existing PCs, netbooks and
thin clients.
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Microsoft
is launching Windows 7 Oct. 22 and has already received pledges of
migration support from PC makers such as Dell. IBM is positioning the
package as a way to rescue customers from buying Microsoft's Windows 7
and Office productivity software during a recession.
"The
U.S. version is arriving just in time to help companies avoid the
higher licensing, hardware upgrades and migration costs associated with
Microsoft Windows 7," goes the IBM rhetoric in a company statement. IBM
Lotus General Manager Bob Picciano got his licks in: "If a company is a
'Windows shop,' at some point it will need to evaluate the significant
costs of migrating its base to Microsoft's next desktop and bolstering
its defenses against virus and other attacks."
Forrester
Research analyst Sheri McLeish told eWEEK that Client for Smart Work is
an antidote for IBM Lotus Notes shops that are tired of the costs of
maintaining a full Microsoft environment.
McLeish noted
that the days of a one-size-fits-all approach for productivity tools
are ending because of the increasing maturity of cloud-based
alternatives; the fact that IBM wrote Lotus Symphony to work well with
Office files and Microsoft SharePoint helps, too. She added:
"Our
own research shows that a good portion of information workers rarely
use all of the tools in their Office arsenal. … Even IBM acknowledges
that some segments will likely still need the full features of Office
but upwards of 70 percent to 80 percent of any given enterprise might
be satisfied by a lower-cost alternative. For large enterprises that
embrace open standards, this combination of OS and desktop software
really can help drive costs down for some segments or all of their
organization. For organizations steeped in Microsoft technology, it may
be time to validate the costs and benefits of their Microsoft
investment."
While Client for Smart Work is primed to enable
collaboration through the cloud, with IBM hosting customer data on its
servers, IBM is also offering the package through an appliance using
Lotus Foundations and on-premises using Lotus Domino collaboration
software.
This software bundle can also be extended to
virtualized workspaces using VERDE from Virtual Bridges, a solution IBM
began offering last December to bring customers Linux and Lotus
messaging and collaboration software to desktops and workstations
across remote offices.
IBM and Canonical said they expect
hundreds of partners to offer IBM Client for Smart Work in 2010.
Pricing varies depending on company sizes, configurations and support
requirements; U.S.-based customers can buy the package from business
partners Canonical, CSS, Compariv, Mainline, Midas Networks, Red Hat,
Virtual Bridges and ZSL.
As always, IBM Global Technology
Services remains eager to take companies' money to help them install
and deploy virtual desktops running IBM Client for Smart Work.