Ubuntu vs. Windows Server

Technology is the sole answer that can increase an organization's productivity. It is consequently vital that businesses adopt technology in all divisions in order to at least be in accordance with the organization's goals and purposes. Customers will always be satisfied with technology-oriented services, thus investing in technology will undoubtedly provide great benefits. Data is a very important property of a business, thus developing technology that can handle data is a fantastic way to maintain reputation and defend the firm. Therefore, it is important to consider the two dominant servers that include windows and Ubuntu server to assess which one has the capacity to manage the data is a good approach towards maintaining reputation and protecting the organization. Therefore, it is important to consider the two dominant servers that include windows and Ubuntu server to assess which one has the capacity to offer server to the organizations without frequent failures. Doing a comparative analysis is necessary to tell which particular operating system server will deliver (Treseangrat et al.). However, such analysis must not be conducted through considering which operating system has a large market share but should be because of performance and efficiency in a bid to meet the demands and requirements of the organization. A server that is capable to offer constant services and variety concerning stability and security stand a chance. Similarly, cost is very significant because every organization is after making profits and any slight opportunity of using a cheap product that offers quality must be ceased. Performing a return on investment of windows and Linux server for the past three years will also act as a guideline to pick the right operating system.

Background

Many a times company find it difficult to make the right choice when it comes to installing server that will help in smooth operations of the company. The choice is indeed difficult to make without consulting experts due to the reason that server run for long periods without interruption hence a hardware durability and reliability are very crucial (Economides and Evan). There are two types of servers that need to be considered when making the decision of installing or upgrading the server. The servers include Ubuntu and Windows servers. However, one cannot deny the fact that each server between the two has its advantages and disadvantages. Making the right choice will therefore depend on which server is capable of outdoing the other when it comes to efficiency, reliability, accessibility and the general performance. Windows is much more expensive implementation purpose of the organization (Economides and Evan). It is because Windows Home is a single user operating system and organization requires buying a site licence for copies of windows that is very costly. However, in the case of Linux organization only requires to obtain a single copy, which can be used with over 50 employees like in the case of the RBC organization structure.

Comparison and Analysis

When it comes to market share, it is clear that Microsoft has majority market share when compared to Linux. However, this is not true when it comes to the server market. Linux has about 60% market share when it comes to server, which is slightly higher than that of the Windows server (DEllia and Parciello). It is important to note that the most significant characteristics for any given server should be security, stability and functionality. It is also vital to consider a server that is cloud ready. That is what makes the difference between windows and ubuntu in terms of market share. Similarly, it is true that Linux is a free operating system. However, running Linux in RBC will definitely incur costs. It is because the free distribution of Linux does not meet the requirements of an enterprise hence no guarantees. Windows is costly but has guarantees to the user and to the whole enterprise (DEllia and Parciello). There is a constant support and updates given by the Microsoft. Similarly, people who are familiar with the windows server will find it simpler to utilize. There are also Active Server Pages that windows avail to their clients in the Microsoft server-hosting platform. Clients are also able to create sites using the tools in the Microsoft interface. When one wants to create personal solution maybe with the use of ASP.Net, windows server is the best due to the reason that Linux server does not offer support to the user (Okyere and Daparti). Similarly, Linux has a strong presence in DNS space and web because it is free and has strong security protocols when running to an internet that is exposed. Microsoft products offered neither of these advantages over the past two decades. However, what is certain in the internet world does not extend to organizations or offices. Most organizations have server's applications and Microsoft servers that are managed centrally through Active Directory. Thus, a company having large windows desktops to manage, the native server of Microsoft makes sense (DiDio). Every person using windows has at one point faced stability and security issues. Windows dominate in terms of market share hence hackers and spammers mostly target it. It makes the security of the operating system as stake especially due to the reason that it has no security features that were originally built in. Moreover, many users have faced the challenge of blue screen that has prompted them to restart their computers manually forcing them to lose very important data. Linux is very stable and secure more than windows. It is because it is a community driven due the reason that it is developed through a collaboration of many people and monitored by developers across the globe hence making it easy to solve ant new problem.

LINUX/UBUNTU WINDOWS

2914 ratings 1375 ratings

Assembly is done under free open source software development and distribution Has a series of graphical interface operating system developed by Microsoft

In terms of cost it can be freely distributed, downloaded hence making it cheaper than windows Upgrading to pro takes approximately $99 and students can acquire the operating system with $69

Has many update methods Has one update method which is mainly windows

In terms of compatibility, new version of Ubuntu supports different types of hardware like printers without issues Is capable of coexisting on local networks with windows, Macs and Unix systems. Sometimes issues of compatibility arise hence cannot support some hardware.

Linux belongs to GNU public licence hence a confirmation that users of all sorts can access the operating system. This is made easy by the source code to the kernel. Codes making up the windows operating system are very distinct and only very select group in the society have access to it.

Return on Investment Analysis

Return on investment analysis involves assessing the discounted cash flows that are generated by the investment in both windows and Linux over the past three years. Standard discount rate is the cost of capital and stands at 12%. The 12% is enough to cover most cost of organizations capital in addition to any risk associated with higher average investment or delayed benefit. The investment includes initial costs of the operating systems, installations and annual support and maintenance (Casedasus et al. 1079). Organizations incorporating Linux and those that incorporate windows over the period of three years realized a discounted benefit of over $300,000 and an average investment of over $50,000 resulting in a return on investment of over 500% and a payback period of 6 months.

Benefit $300,000

Investment $50,000

Net present Value $250,000

ROI=Investment/NPV 500%

Payback= Investment/NPV 6 months

Discount rate 12%

Recommendations

One cannot deny the fact that Linux is preferably suited to be utilized as the server than Windows. The stability makes Ubuntu the perfect choice because it is capable of running for a long time without failure. Moreover, Linux is capable of multitasking in that it can handle many processes at once. Changes in Windows server will always prompt the user to reboot which is not the case with Linux server (Gray et al.). The difference in booting comes about due to the way changes in the Linux setup are completed even if the system is running. Furthermore, Linux was designed around a multi-user operating system as it is focused around UNIX. It is only the administrator or the authorized user who will find it interesting to use hence keeping the security level high. It is also tough for malware and virus to attack Linux hence making it appropriate for use as a server especially in an organization such as the RBC, which has over 30 employees and several clients that need to be served (Van). Windows requires the regular update in the hardware to comply with its resource demands. However, Linux is made to be adaptable and scalable hence giving it the ability to perform without failure in any given computer regardless of the structure of that particular computer (Beier). Concerning cost, Linux is affordable and offers corporate support that is reasonable than windows. Therefore, above advantages make Linux suitable and recommendable to be used as the server in a reputable organization such as RBC.

Conclusion

Making a decision on which server to choose between Windows and Linux should therefore not be a problem to the RBC given the comparison concerning accessibility, usage, and web hosting between the two have been highlighted. Windows offer support and regular updates to help the customers hence making it suitable for enterprise and personal use for individuals who are not computer experts. On the other hand, Linux is dominant in server market share due to numerous services and options that it offers to the users. It is designed in such a way that it is adaptable to perform with various hardware and other application, therefore, giving it the advantage of windows to some extent. However, choosing appropriate server depends on the kind of services that an organization wants to undertake (Gawer and Michael). An organization such as RBC with over 30 employees needs to invest in technology that is outstanding and not prone to failures. The ratings of the two operating systems should act as a guideline through which a company makes their decision. High scores indicate that necessities such as accessibility, cost, and quality regarding performance are catered for adequately.

Works Cited

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D'Elia, M. G., and V. Paciello. "Performance evaluation of LabView on Linux Ubuntu and Window XP operating systems." Telecommunications Forum (TELFOR), 2011 19th. IEEE, 2011.

DiDio, Laura. "Unix, Linux Uptime and Reliability Increase; Patch Management Woes Plague Windows." Yankee Group Research, Inc., January (2008).

Economides, Nicholas, and Evan Katsamakas. "Linux vs. Windows: A Comparison of Innovation Incentives and a Case Study." (2005).

Gray, Justin, Kenneth Moore, and Bret Naylor. "OpenMDAO: An open source framework for multidisciplinary analysis and optimization." 13th AIAA/ISSMO Multidisciplinary Analysis Optimization Conference. 2010.

Gawer, Annabelle, and Michael A. Cusumano. "How companies become platform leaders." MIT Sloan management review 49.2 (2008): 28.

Okyere-Dankwa, Mr. Seth, and Daparti Subba Rao. "Stability and Utilization of Computer Network on Sudden Change in Traffic Load."

Treseangrat, Kiattikul, Samad Salehi Kolahi, and Bahman Sarrafpour. "Analysis of UDP DDoS cyber flood attack and defense mechanisms on Windows Server 2012 and Linux Ubuntu 13." Computer, Information and Telecommunication Systems (CITS), 2015 International Conference on. IEEE, 2015.

Van Vugt, Sander. Pro Ubuntu Server Administration. Vol. 1. Apress, 2009.