曾幾何時，Linux在企業的用途有兩個：Web服務器、文件和打印共享服務器。但現在情況已經有了翻天覆地的改變。
來自eweek的報道稱，在Linux基金會協作高峰會上發言時，IDC負責調研事務的副總裁吉倫（Al Gillen）說，Linux正在快速發展為運行關鍵任務企業應用軟件的服務器核心。這個速度有多快？有數據為證，到2011年時Linux服務器市場將增長到490億美元。
吉倫在發言時說，盡管運行基本負載的Linux服務器會繼續增長，但運行數據庫、企業資源規劃（ERP）、決策支持等負載的Linux服務器的份額會穩步擴大。
IDC預計，2006年到2011年間Linux軟件支出的年復合增長率將達到 35.7%，包括軟件、硬件、相關服務在內的在Linux上的總支出的年復合增長率為24.1%。如果Linux支出繼續以IDC預計的速度增長，與 Linux相關的總支出將由2007年的210億美元增長至2011年的490億美元。
吉倫表示，按這樣的增長速度計算，Linux在服務器市場上的份額到2011年時將超過9%，與Linux相關的軟件支出將增長到310億美元，屆時總的軟件支出將達到3300億美元。
Linux在不同行業的增長速度存在差異。吉倫指出，政府、金融服務、公共服務等領域的客戶更可能利用Linux取代現有的Unix服務器。
吉倫指出，未來，Windows將繼續是Linux長期的競爭對手。盡管在研發層面上有條件地與開放源代碼技術合作，但微軟在營銷和銷售上仍然采用了咄咄逼人的戰略。
另外，吉倫認為，來自開源軟件行業，基於Linux的軟件應用將是這個行業另外一個高速增長點，這將不僅僅是linux操作系統，還有部署於該系統上的整套中間件、應用服務軟件等等。目前提供這些服務的供應商已經開始出現，比如Novell、紅帽和Sun，這些公司會提供一整套基於開源軟件的企業信息化整體解決方案。這將是開源產業的一個新的發展重點。
一個基本的事實是，Linux已經並將繼續成為許多企業的命脈。至少說，目前的芝加哥期貨交易所做到了，在本次合作峰會上，一位來自芝加哥期貨交易所的代表是這麼認為的，他說，在目前的芝加哥期貨交易所的信息系統中，部署在Linux上的交易系統已經處理了上萬億美金的交易量，還沒有出現過問題，還有什麼關鍵業務不能在Linux上跑呢？
Austin, Texas--Once upon a time, you found Linux as a server in two places in the enterprise: on the edge, as a Web server, and in the branch office, as a file and print server. That was then. This is now.
In a speech at the Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit at the University of Texas Super Computing Center here, IDC Vice President of Research Al Gillen said that Linux is now growing quickly as the heart of mission-critical enterprise application servers. How quickly? Try the Linux server business will grow to $49 billion in 2011.
In his speech, Gillen said, "While these basic workload deployments continue to grow in volume, additional workloads, including database, ERP, decision support and general business processing, are steadily advancing their share of total Linux deployments." What this means for Linux is that it quickly is becoming a mission-critical part of business.
In terms of dollars and cents, IDC expects to see Linux software spending growing from 2006 to 2011 at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 35.7 percent. The overall spending on Linux, including software, hardware, and services, is increasing over the same period at a CAGR of 24.1 percent. So if this spending continues at the rate IDC expects, the total spending on Linux will grow from 2007's $21 billion in 2007 to $49 billion by 2011.
Now, if only the economy were growing at a rate even half of that, there would be no talk of a recession.
At this growth rate, Gillen said Linux's share of the total server market "is expected to grow to more than 9 percent by 2011, or $31 billion in Linux-related software revenue in a total market that will grow to $330 billion." As in the past, much of that growth is expected to come at the expense of Unix.
Linux's growth is not uniform across different businesses. Gillen noted that "users in verticals such as government, financial services and general services are more likely to move to Linux as a replacement for existing Unix servers."
Looking ahead, "Windows continues to present a significant long-term challenge for Linux," said Gillen. At the same time, though, "Microsoft has shifted its approach to both Linux and other open-source technology and today is working both competitively and cooperatively with Linux solutions at a technology and development level. However, the company still takes a highly competitive marketing and sales approach to Linux."
Another development IDC sees coming in the next few years that may boost Linux's enterprise server growth even higher is what Gillen calls "software appliances." These are turnkey software stacks "that incorporate operating system functionality along with middleware and other infrastructure software components, and potentially with application software as well." If this happens, this will give vendors with a strong software stack--such as a Novell, Red Hat or Sun--a chance for "higher-volume deployments of Linux, even though it will reduce revenue opportunities for discrete products."
The bottom line: Linux is continuing to become the life's blood of many businesses. Or, as in the case of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, an early Linux adopter, it already is. A representative of the Exchange at the Summit said, "We're already doing a trillion dollars of trades on the exchange." What part of mission-critical ready do you not understand?