Skip Links

Network World

  • Social Web 
  • Email 
  • Close

IDC: Linux server shipments shrink as enterprises consolidate, virtualize data centers

Latest research from IDC on Linux server revenue
By Phil Hochmuth , Network World , 03/07/2007

Linux server revenue grew slightly in the fourth quarter of 2006, according to the latest research from IDC. But while overall Linux usage is growing, the number of physical Linux servers being shipped to enterprises may be suffering due to the trend of virtualization.

Linux server revenue grew 15.3% in the fourth quarter of 2006, compared to the same quarter a year ago. Linux server sales reached $1.8 billion. This represents around 12% of the overall all server revenue worldwide. Comparatively, Linux falls behind Windows, with 35% of worldwide revenue, and Unix, with 33.5% of server revenue. (Linux just barely beat out IBM's Z/OS mainframe in terms of revenue.)

“As IT consolidation extends its reach into the open source domain,” IDC says, this has significantly affected the number of overall Linux severs being shipped. The research firms says that Linux server shipments fell .08% — a slight drop, but a significant one, considering that Linux server shipments has grown in the double digits for the previous 18 quarters.

While IBM was the overall server revenue champ in 2006 (37.9% of worldwide server sales), HP was the top Linux server vendor last year. The company accounted for 31.2% of the $1.8 billion in Linux servers sold, followed by IBM and Dell.

The third-place standing of Linux in terms of server revenue, and its decline in server shipments, are probably not a reflection of any sort of decline of Linux usage, however. Machines pre-loaded with Linux typically cost less than other pre-installed server hardware. Many IT shops are also using free versions of Linux — such as Fedora and CentOS — installed on either blank machines, or as IDC indicates, as virtual machines running on top of a single Linux host machine.

Partner Content
CA logo

CA Network & Voice Resource Center

Comprehensive Network & Voice Management Visit CA Network & Voice Management Resource Center and get insights into industry best practices, information that helps you to address your challenges.

CA Network & Voice Management Resource Center

whitepaper

Managing Voice Over IP for Successful Convergence

Voice over IP (VoIP) has much to offer in cost savings but some customers have concerns about VoIP call quality compared to the quality of traditional voice services. This white paper will help you learn how to take the right steps so that voice quality is assured.

Managing VoIP for Successful Convergence

whitepaper

The Changing Face of Network Management

Managing your network is serious business. This paper discusses the benefits of integrating configuration change-awareness into your network fault management solution

Download Whitepaper

Comments (1)
Login
Forgot your account info?

IDC: Linux server shipments shrink as enterprises consolidate, virtualize data centersBy Anonymous on March 11, 2007, 5:27 pmI think this is a good sign that Linux has stablized and won't be bought just to prove itself. Re: IDC: Linux server shipments shrink as enterprises consolidate,...

Reply | Read entire comment

View all comments

Add comment
Anonymous comments subject to approval. Register here for member benefits.
Have a NetworkWorld account? Log in here. Register now for a free account.

Videos

rssRss Feed

Whitepapers

Sun Microsystems: The Green Tide Is Coming. Pressure Builds for an Energy-Efficient Data Center

It's safe to say that most companies, if presented with hard numbers on their energy consumption...

Secure Wireless Printing Options

Discover how you can reduce the TCO of your wireless printers in this whitepaper. Learn how to...

Tuning ERP and the Supply Chain for Profitable Growth

The supply chain is, of course, the primary processing mechanism of every manufacturing company....

Webcasts

Direct from Microsoft: Tips for Integrating Exchange 2007 and Double-Take Software

Double-Take (r) Software and Microsoft are teaming up on September 9, 2008 for a webinar focusing...

PoE Plus: Impact on the PoE Market

The standard for Power over Ethernet (PoE), IEEE Std. 802.3af(tm)-2003, advanced networking,...

Harnessing the power of communications to increase workplace performance

Due to the convergence of IT and telecommunications technologies, the business workplace has been...

Special Reports

The New Network/System Management Challenges

Increasingly popular technologies such as virtualization, wireless networking and data center...

Virtualization Reality Check

Find out why analysts say approaching virtualization with an ounce of caution is wise. And also why...

Closing the Loop: Extending Wireless LAN Security to Wireless Printers

Enterprises cannot overlook wireless printers when assessing network security. The print jobs and...

Get instant email notification when white papers, webcasts, executive guides are added to our library. Stay informed and up-to-date with the latest on IT Technologies with Network World's Resource Alerts.