Do you know Its easy to replace Microsoft windows & use Linux for your small business? This Idea will confuse many small business owners but you can use Linux on your computer without replacing any hardware parts for absolutely free!
Well before you hit the back button let me clear that Linux has many distributions (often called distros) which are made for specific computing needs and they are free as well. Unlike you pay Microsoft to use Windows you don’t need to pay any dime to use Linux!
Why should Small businesses use Linux? & Ditch windows!
Well, there are plenty of reasons and we will be discussing all of them one by one so read it carefully before making any decision. Here we present 13 reasons to ditch Windows & use Linux for small business owners.
Linux is FREE, saves your licensing cost
Till now you must have understood that Linux is free. The amount you pay to Microsoft for using Windows OS you don’t need to pay it to anyone when you use Linux. The same amount you can use somewhere else to make your business stronger.
Many distros mean many choices
There are many distros of Linux so you can use any of them which suits your need. So if you can’t live without Windows OS feel you can use Pinguy OS if you like a robust feel you can use Linux Mint or Fedora or Debian and the list goes on.
Easy to use hence beginner-friendly
Well, many of you might doubt this but Linux is very beginner-friendly than any other OS. Linux comes with lots of manuals. Beginners will never feel confused while using Linux because you can easily search for any option you want. All settings can be found in the settings menu.
More Security means Safe Business
Every business person wants their data safe, right? Linux is considered a very secure OS due to its open-source nature. So the code of Linux is visible to developers around the world and they can find a mistake and provide a patch for it. Unlike in Windows, only Microsoft can Patch their OS. Which makes it more secure than windows.
Linux is Hardware friendly
Linux consumes less amount of hardware and runs on any aging hardware. So you don’t need to replace any hardware in case you are switching to Linux. Also, consuming fewer resources means an increase in life. Which will ultimately save you a few bucks and keeps you hassle-free.
No bloatware
Microsoft Windows comes with Internet Explorer, MS paint, Wordpad & many other Softwares that you cannot remove by yourself. But in Linux, this is not the case you can use whatever software you want. Linux does not come with bloatware.
More Freedom
You will have more freedom using Linux because you can install whatever software you want. Open-source is all about freedom. You can edit your operating systems code or any software that you are using you can easily edit the code and make it work as per your need.
No more Blue Screen of Death
I was frustrated with this for years until I switched to Linux. The Blue screen of death is a very scary error. It shuts your entire system without giving you any warning and in many cases, it happens when you will be working on deadlines. In Linux, you won’t receive these kinds of error or sudden shutdowns.
No more Restart Required
This one will be shocking for many but Linux OS can be run for days without restarting. Many servers are up without restarting for 500-600 days. If you ask any of System Admin s/he can confirm it and will tell you that they have systems that are not booted for a long while.
Update and use simultaneously
As a small business owner time is very precious for you. in Linux You can decide whether you want to update your computer or not! Unlike in Windows nobody will force you with those freaking Auto updates, which always happens while booting. You will be able to update your Linux distro from the graphical interface or by command line. You can also choose which updates you want or not.
Better option to run a server
From Google to Amazon everybody uses Linux to set up their servers. Even on Azure, more than 50% of VM’s are running Linux. The majority cloud is running on Linux. Server management on Linux is so powerful and robust that there are no alternatives to it.
Vast Helping Community
If you got any issues you can directly reach any of the Linux community forums where thousands of Linux enthusiasts are sitting to help each other. Linux community is way bigger than people think. The community is so helpful that they will always go the extra mile to help you.
Pay only For Support
This is completely optional. If you are running some cloud business or extensive server management then you can pay certain fees to maintain it. Canonical, RedHat and some other private vendors offer support for Linux that you can avail easily.
Summary:
We think Linux is the best fit for small businesses because of these reasons. Linux has may flavor often called distributions or distros and they are free. Linux systems are more secured, stable, and robust than windows. Linux saves you a lot of money. Freedom to use your computer like anything is the core principle of Linux and till now Linux has preserved it.
With a very active community, you never run out of FREE support for Linux. But in case you are looking for the paid one, it is there. you can run a server on Linux and manage it very easily. Linux File system is very fast. In all the aspects Linux outranks windows and I think you should give it a try.
A good choice of Linux distro for your business will be Linux Mint, Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, etc.
Although I am a fan of Linux, I tend to disagree on some points.
1) I use RHEL on a new Dell. I had to go look for the nVidia drivers as they are not included (not open source) in the distribution.
2) Printers, hmmm.
3) I got a Logitect MX Master. Drivers by default for Windows and OSX. Shame on you, Logitech. You advertised clearly Linux (and Android and iOS) supported. I expect more than this !
4) No bloatware ? Sorry, the Dell came with Ubuntu, which has a link to Amazon’s shop in the favorites. Shame on you Canonical.
5) I do restart when I update and see a new kernel version come in. Maybe bad habit.
So, I do agree it’s a better system for most of the users, hence maybe even startups, but it’s not all blue sky !