VARs: Certification, Apps Are Keys To Linux Success

Certification and application development are key to Linux gaining general acceptance in the corporate market, according to resellers responding to the April CRN/Ruzinsky Research reseller software poll.

In light of the intense interest Linux is generating, CRN has expanded its survey coverage of the technology in the monthly reseller software poll. The April survey presents the first set of new results.

Forty percent of respondents to last month's survey said certification was "very important" to Linux's rise in the enterprise workspace, as well as in the small- and midsize-company markets. Another 44 percent said certification was "somewhat" important. Only 16 percent believed certification was either "not very important" or "not at all important."

Channel players have been lamenting the lack of progress in developing Linux certification training programs for some time. One VAR said until the process is hashed out, he does not see enterprise companies taking a chance on Linux (CRN, March 8).

There is some hope among resellers that Linux will do what no Unix platform has managed: offer a single, compatible version of the operating system. In the past, several manufacturers all worked on their own Unix system, none of which was compatible.

"The Unix guys could never get it together," said Julia Grant, principle of Autodraft Inc., a Rochester, N.Y.-based VAR.

Despite resellers' overwhelming belief that certification is a key to Linux's growth in the corporate marketplace, only 15 percent of respondents said they planned to become Linux-certified within the next six months. Another 32 percent said they were not sure, while 53 percent said they would not become certified during this period.

In all, 145 resellers responded to the April survey.

Resellers also make it clear that database and office productivity applications are two areas crucial to keeping Linux on its meteoric growth path.

To become mainstream, Linux must "get to a state where you don't have to stare at a command prompt so much," said Jon Walsh, programmer at Comspace.com, a Houston VAR.

CRN asked resellers which applications are most important to Linux gaining acceptance in corporations. Some 73 percent of respondents cited databases, while 65 percent said office productivity applications (multiple responses are possible).

One-third of respondents said Web applications were crucial to Linux acceptance. Antivirus software and groupware were cited by 17 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

In light of these results, it is not surprising resellers are hedging bets on whether Linux will become a viable alternative to Windows within the next 12 months.

Forty-four percent of respondents said that in the small/midsize company market, Linux would become a viable Windows alternative within that period. Another 36 percent said it would not. The remaining 20 percent were unsure.

The wind blows the other way in the enterprise market. Thirty-one percent of respondents said that Linux would be a viable alternative to Windows within the next 12 months, but 43 percent said it would not. The other 26 percent were unsure.

Compared with the results of a CRN reseller spot survey last December, resellers have become less optimistic about the time frame for Linux mounting a credible challenge to Windows. Slow progress in the areas of certifications and applications development are no doubt two big reasons for this result, and show Linux-backers need to feel a greater sense of urgency in addressing these concerns, analysts said.

For historical data, go to:

www.crn.com/research