Linux Desktop Market Crack
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Back when SuSE was a struggling Linux distributor, I helped them define their go-to-market strategy. Talking to a pack of German Open Source techies about how to sell to American enterprises was slightly less pleasant than being beaten with blunt objects. This is not an insult to Germans, technologists or Open Source advocates, though the combination proved to be painful.
Part of the SuSE product line was their desktop disto. Even in those primitive days, the SuSE desktop was a compelling argument. It contained everything a nominal information worker would need to be productive, aside from indoctrinated addiction to Microsoft products. Creating a compelling story for CIOs was tricky as adopting a Linux desktop outside of IT presented a number of risks and expenses, and this was before Microsoft starting catapulting intellectual property layers at Open Source vendor ramparts.
In the passing years I have been waiting to see a "market shift" event, one that would show the market itself was willing to actively explore a Linux desktop. There have been many anecdotal tales of Linux desktop adoption, but nothing that indicated that demand was growing on a broad basis within enterprises. One dramatic proxy would have been third parties becoming involved in Linux desktop deployments. When a non-Linux vendor makes an effort to promote Linux, they do so because there has been some degree of demand expressed by the market.
Enter Capgemini. Cap is one of the foremost technology consultancies, spanning 30 countries and chewing a couple of billion Euros in revenue each quarter. Much of Cap’s branding revolves around developing a tight partnership with their clients, performing due diligence on new technologies, and identifying how to leverage them for good business value.
Recently, Cap and Novell announced an alliance for pushing Novell solutions to Capgemini clients. Such "non-noucements" are typically snore fests, with little real news that affects competition or markets. However, this one prominently displayed the mutual goal of identifying quot;opportunities for Linux desktop deployments with the services firm also ramping up its SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop expertise." I suspect Cap would not be interested in identifying Linux desktop opportunities unless their customers had not been inquiring to some degree. Phrased differently, Capgemini is not going to risk their brand by force feeding customers technologies that will be rejected out of hand.
At the risk of reading too much into a single paragraph in an otherwise vague press release, we have to see this as a crack in market resistance. While helping SuSE peddle their early desktop, many CIOs expressed interest in the concept of a Linux desktop though they were not ready to talk seriously about a test deployment. Now that Linux is occupying a huge share of their server farm real estate, the thought of a Linux desktop is not out of the question. If we see a joint "customer win" announcement between Novell and Cap for a significant Linux desktop deployment, then we will know the market is shifting.
And if we see Microsoft F.U.D. the announcement, then we will be sure.
