From Windows to Linux - Small Offices Run Linux to Keep TCO Costs Down

If you are a small business that mainly uses typical office software, like an attorney's office or maybe a real estate office that accesses the local multiple listing service online, then you are a perfect candidate to make the move to Linux.

Why make the move? It's free! That's right. No software fees! No licensing hassles. No calling support to unlock programs that you already paid for.

Another great reason to use Linux is that it runs quite well on older computers. If you have an office full of 6 year old computers that are all running an old OS and are amazingly slow and in need of updating, then why not download Ubuntu Linux for free, burn it to a disk, and install Linux.

What about all of the programs I need? Well, if you are currently only running typical office apps, there are excellent replacements, again all for free, in Linux. OpenOffice is a wonderful alternative to typical proprietary solutions. You can open and save in.doc and.xls format with Open Office. Again, by using an open source solution you are suddenly free of the licensing headaches that go with typical corporate software solutions.

If you are wondering if any other businesses and organizations are starting to make the move to a Linux / Open Source / Open Office solution, the answer is Yes!

Here are a few examples of organizations who've made the move to OpenOffice:

The Howard County Library in Maryland, USA uses Open Office. Legal Aid Manitoba in Canada switched to Open Office and to Linux (from Windows) on all of their desktops. The State of Nevada, Department of Corrections have OpenOffice installed on 1,135 desktops for pdf creation.

These are just a few examples. All over the world, businesses and organizations are making the move to open source / Linux solutions.

About this Author

Rand enjoys writing about cycling, hiking, men's health and more. Please take a look at his Safety Razor website for safety razor shaving info and tips. The Merkur safety razor page has info on the latest offerings from the Merkur line of adjustable safety razors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rand_Whitehall