How difficult would it be to migrate a small business away from Windows?

Linux Support
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I have been working for the same IT management company for several years now and it seems with every update on Window’s end, things are made more tedious and time consuming. I think Windows is great but Linux offers more options for a small business to save money, time, and offers way better security in my opinion. I want to set up a meeting with my boss and convince him to start migrating away from Windows but I have never done it on this scale. I am not sure how hard it would be for the company.

It is a smaller business, we only have maybe 15 employees. So it wouldn’t be a huge transfer but I know a lot of things would have to change and many of them would have to learn Linux which could be a hindrance for my boss. Only 3 other employees use it at home.

How difficult would it be to migrate away from Windows in favor of using Linux, what distro would be ideal for a small business, and what key points should I focus on when trying to convince my boss this is a valuable transition?

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Germany tried and failed, they switched back to Windows, so it’s not worth it, in my opinion

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Welcome to the community. @rexx :handshake: Don’t listen to @Ben he’s a Windows lover! jk :grin:

Instead of paying licenses to Microsoft, use that budget to buy support from Ubuntu (best value), Red Hat or SUSE for desktop, small business or enterprise support.

Anyone can use Ubuntu Pro for free on up to 5 machines, or 50 if you are an official Ubuntu Community member.

Also see: List of Linux adopters - Wikipedia

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I agree about Ubuntu being the best option for something like this.

I would highlight with your boss that it would mean better protection without the cost. Ubuntu comes with built-in protection including anti-phishing, anti-virus, and a firewall. You also lower the risk of having to deal with viruses by a great deal. You can make use of Wine for any software that is only on Windows. This won’t work for all programs however so it really depends on what the company uses but there is access to LOADS of free software alternatives. Plus, Ubuntu can be set up to “feel” like Windows.

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:rofl: I only use windows at work :disappointed:

Otherwise my home servers all run Linux. But again that’s the main issue is, people love Windows, and won’t give it up.

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I have tried this, working with a small team. The issue is that clients almost exclusively use Windows and that is where you can run into trouble. We ended up having to switch back because running a VM ended up causing delays for us. You will have to establish what your company uses in terms of software and what services they offer beforehand.

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Thank you for the information. I am going to take a look over everything and see what I can make sense of. I might be back with more questions. I would really like our company to move away from Windows. It just seems silly at this point to be spending so much money month after month when we have free and better alternatives that have been proven time and time again to be more useful.

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I agree with JustNick.

Do you know offhand what programs and software the company relies on most that can’t be changed? That is usually where people run into issue and decide not to do it. It usually works better if you are building a company up using Linux rather than building it on Windows and moving away from it.

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It would not be an easy task though to migrate from Windows to Linux. But you would have to give it a strategic push. If there are specific Windows software used by the organisation, find close Linux replacements like LibreOffice for MS Office. Cloud solutions could help in situations when direct replacements cannot be found. Make sure you use a pilot approach for the transition.

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I’ve not read all of the responses, but from what I have read, they’re full of excellent advice.

For myself, I suggest making a comprehensive list of the desktop software that you’re already running and see if there are Linux versions available, or close enough alternatives. For example, I use 1Password as my password manager and there’s a full-featured version available for Linux. By doing this, you’re in an even better position when your boss eventually raises this point.

Then, picking up where @JustNick left off, take a look at the software that your clients/customers use and see if there is anything that might cause an issue. Something might. But, there might be a workaround as well. So don’t right anything off before you’ve checked.

In short, anticipate the questions that your boss will likely ask as much as you can, and frame the transition through the perspective of the value and benefits that it will bring, rather than the associated cost or individual features. That way, you will come across as genuine and prepared, someone that your boss should listen to, and your boss should see this as a win.

Then, I suggest setting up a machine with Linux and using it on a daily basis for about a month or so, tuning/configuring it through the course of that time so that you get hands-on experience with what it’s like using Linux instead of Windows. Plus, you get to refine your approach during this time as well. Then, if the boss accepts your idea, you have something to base future company/organisation-wide installations off of.

I don’t have a specific distribution or desktop that I recommend, as so many are so very capable, and I don’t know your exact situation. That said, I use a reasonably customised Gnome Shell desktop on Ubuntu Linux and find it to be extremely efficient and performant.

I hope this helps in some way.

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Welcome to the forums @settermjd

I’ve visited your website https://matthewsetter.com/.

I’ve bumped up your forum Trust Level so that you can now also post links and don’t have the new user restrictions.

It’s great to have another experienced developer join us. 20 years of developing apps is a long time. We have a few here, most are lurkers and some post every now and then. We look forward to hearing your views.