Brown University case study: Indemnification is a must have
A case study, by the Yankee Group, reports how Brown University, an Ivy League college in Rhode Island, thoroughly investigated the technological and business aspects of Linux and Window server to determine which server operating system would offer the university's Department of Psychiatry optimal total cost of ownership and return on investment with minimal risk of intellectual property lawsuits.
Microsoft Window Server 2003 scored highest.
Currently, proprietary software solutions, such as those from Microsoft and Sun, offer broader, deeper and more comprehensive indemnification protection than Linux and open source distributions. The inherently open nature of Linux and open source, and the flexibility to customise the core OS kernel, heighten the risk of exposure.
It is crucial that organisations assess their risk tolerance level and determine whether indemnification is necessary for their organisation.
For businesses in heavily regulated industries, such as legal, defence, healthcare, government and finance, indemnification may be a requirement, not an option.
Organisations must include this expense in the overall TCO numbers when considering a switch from a Window server or Unix to Linux. For a very large enterprise that needs tens of millions of pounds worth of indemnification, the cost of such a policy may negate any perceived cost savings over the more expensive Microsoft Window server and Office licenses.
Corporations should weigh all of their options — technical (performance, reliability, scalability, security, etc.) and business (cost, liability, viability of the vendor, etc.) before purchasing any software or hardware equipment. Litigation is becoming more commonplace.
Businesses owe it to themselves to pay close attention to the availability and type of indemnification offered by all of their vendors.
For more information on Window server indemnification call today on 0800 458 4545, or request more information online.
