Microsoft’s has TCO advantage over Linux – Hansen

MICROSOFT Corporation has said that despite competition in the software market, customers have the choice to pick it’s Operating Systems (OS) due to the total cost of ownership over Linux.


Operating System (OS) is tagged the most important programme that runs on a computer, which entails that every general-purpose computer must have an OS to run other programmes.

In other words, operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers.

Linux is an operating system that was initially created as a hobby by a young student, Linus Torvalds, at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Apart from the fact Linux is freely distributed, its functionality, adaptability and robustness, has made it the main alternative for proprietary Unix and Microsoft operating systems.

IBM, Hewlett-Packard and other giants of the computing world have embraced Linux and support its ongoing development.

Reacting to media reports over jostlings in government to outsmart Linux OS in Nigeria, the regional general manager for Microsoft West, East and Central Africa (WECA), Mr. Thomas Hansen, told ITRealms Online that although a joint marketing agreement was drafted to provide an investment based on the best practices for deploying technology in K-12 education level in a large culturally and geographically diverse market such as Nigeria.

K–12 is a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. It is used in the United States, Canada, and some parts of Australia and lately in Africa, which is an expression Kindergarten of 5 or 6-year-old through 12th grade.

This, Mr. Hansen said demonstrated the value and benefits of this technology by Microsoft for that purpose, stressing that through the course of pursuing the opportunity, it became clear that the customers in one of the pilots, the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) wanted to pursue a Linux OS. To Microsoft’s knowledge, the other pilot with Education Tax Fund (ETF) was never executed.

“As such, the joint marketing agreement became irrelevant; no such marketing agreement was ever agreed to, and no money was ever spent,” he said.

On the issue of government organs deploying Linux in departments and schools due to the high cost of Microsoft solution, in some countries, basically four African nations, namely South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia and Ghana, Mr. Hansen said that Microsoft has strong relationships with the governments in the aforementioned countries, noting that customers always decide on what OS solutions most meet their needs.

“From our standpoint, those governments and indeed every customer should always decide which software solutions meet their needs most appropriately. We strongly believe that governments must carefully consider all costs of acquiring and using a PC along with the benefits of widespread application availability, maintenance, and training among other factors,” he said.

Emphasizing that studies have shown that when the total cost of ownership (TCO) is considered, the Windows platform often costs the same or less than Linux.

“Further, when the full range of user benefits are taken into account, such as the wide range of applications available, familiarity, and ease-of-use, Windows is often has a much better overall value,” he said.


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