[NBLUG/talk] Linux in offices initiative

[Omar Eljumaily]

Steve, thanks.  You're right.  A lot of the issues are pretty generic to 
business.  I think, however, that Linux can become a ubiquitous business 
tool.

There's no doubt that Windows office server is losing market share.  One 
important question is whether those offices shedding Windows Server will 
switch to Linux or just go completely cloud for file and application 
serving.

My own experience is that when run properly a Linux server in a small 
office can save a lot of time and money, and it would be difficult to 
mimic that efficiency with Windows Server, and virtually impossible to 
do it completely on the cloud.

It's still a bit of an esoteric field, though.  It would be nice to have 
a sort of default set of applications and guidelines for doing it.

Thanks,

Omar


On 8/27/2014 9:16 AM, Steve S. wrote:
> Omar,
>
> Good topic... feel free to "barge in and start blabbing" when it's a
> nice meaty on-topic post!  :-D
>
> Some of these things seem like real Linux issues; indeed, some of them
> are rather larger than a local list can reasonably "solve," e.g. your
> #1 (GUI tools reliable across multiple major releases):
> intercompatibility between different Linuces' windowing environments
> is a notable issue, and IMHO one that holds Linux back from greater
> business acceptance.  Obviously, dev's can port... but when a business
> is deciding what to implement, "can be ported easily / might be ported
> someday" makes a less-than-compelling case... ;-)
>
> Some of the others, honestly, are pretty generic business issues;
> take, for example, your numbers 2 (backup) & 3 (cloud vs. local for
> applications/servers) -- which these days IMHO are really best
> considered as a set, with a coordinated data/app/server strategy.
> This is a question that every business needs to address, and
> Linux/Windows/OS-X/VMS/OS400/GEOS/whatever is less relevant than is a
> cost/benefit/risk analysis of the issues.
>
> On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 11:03 AM, Omar Eljumaily <omar at omnicode.com> wrote:
>> Hello, I've been using Linux servers in a couple of small offices in Santa
>> Rosa for about 15 years now.  I've developed a sort of laundry list of
>> issues that I think would make things much easier for businesses to use
>> Linux in their offices.
>>
>> I found your Linux user group and was wondering if anybody had any thoughts
>> on the idea of developing a list of apps and/or best practices for using
>> Linux in office settings.  I know there are already things like this in
>> various forms, and a lot of apps that are already available.  Perhaps
>> putting something like this together would be just a matter of assembling
>> existing apps and information.
>>
>> Some of the issues that I deal with on a daily basis, and I believe aren't
>> addressed in a formal manner for Linux are the following. I'm using Centos
>> right now, but am in the process of moving to Ubuntu LTS for various
>> reasons.
>>
>> 1. A robust, consistent solution for GUI based configuration management that
>> works across major releases.
>>
>> 2.  Best practices for backup & mirroring, including recommendations for
>> hardware and hot swapping.
>>
>> 3. A solution for cloud synchronization of local data.  Also concerning this
>> issue would be a discussion of when (or if) it makes sense to run a local
>> server as opposed to an offsite cloud server or application.
>>
>> 4. Standardized maintenance agreements with example pricing.
>>
>> 5. Firewall and security recommendations.
>>
>> 6. Development of a consistent platform for application serving. Some
>> variation of LAMP, but with provisions for trials, plug and play, etc.
>>
>> These is a short and incomplete list.  Sorry to barge in and start blabbing
>> about it.  I thought it would be nice to start a conversation with local
>> people about this if anybody's interest.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Omar
>>
>>
>>
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>
>