A whitepaper published this week by IDC describes profound changes in enterprise computing that could bring a proliferation of embedded Linux devices to an IT department near you. The paper also examines Red Hat's evolving desktop and embedded Linux strategy in the context of this sea change.

The paper is entitled “Linux and Open Source Software as a Desktop Platform,” and was written by IDC analysts Dan Kusnetzky and Al Gillen. It was sponsored by Red Hat.

The paper begins with the opinion that enterprises are shifting, fundamentally, toward network- or server-centric systems, often in conjunction with simple thin (embedded) clients.

The change is happening because enterprise needs to cut staffing and product acquisition costs, enable rapid system upgrades, and maintain security while managing security costs, Kusnetzky and Gillen write. And, commodity PC hardware can now support applications previously requiring expensive midrange or mainframe systems. Another factor is the proliferation of alternative software licensing models, including open source, “pay-as-you-go”, and “software-as-a-service” models. Finally, the new approach can enable organizations to maintain pre-existing software investments, according to Kusnetzky and Gillen.

The net sum of the factors listed above is effecting a shift toward distributed network computing based on relatively specialized and fault-tolerant computing systems that expose computing functions as “utilities” to distributed users of “virtual environment software” (VES), the whitepaper says. VES dissociates computer functions from specific hardware, so that user-facing systems can evolve in many cases from standalone processing stations into what amount to Web services gateways.

IDC breaks “virtual environment” software into six layers. Low-level layers include client provisioning and management software, security software, and virtual storage software to abstract data from its actual storage location in the view of users and applications. Next comes virtual processing software that aggregates and re-distributes processing power to make each user think they have an infinitely powerful and scalable system. Virtual application environments come next, providing an environment for custom and standard software to run more robustly and reliably than would be possible with separate client installations. Finally, virtual access software enables a growing range of mobile, thin, or standard desktop clients to access computing functions regardless of operating system, and whether or not the application was originally intended to run on them.

According to IDC, Red Hat's “Open Source Architecture (OSA), announced October, 2003, positions it to address many layers of the VES computing model.”

The IDC whitepaper next attempts to identify which computer users can benefit from VES and open source computing technologies, with the following conclusions:

• Consumers uninterested in gaming or financial applications would be well-served by current open source software technology.
• Developers would likewise be well-served, although those writing code for other operating systems may prefer to use the same OS they are targeting.
• Transactional Workers — call center workers, for example — are currently best positioned to benefit from open source and VES technology.
• Knowledge Workers are for the most part too much invested in highly specialized software to be served by the new technologies, although they may be willing to endure a temporary loss of productivity as they learn to use new open source software tools if it would mean a reduction in productivity interruptions due to security threats and lapses.

As open source and VES technologies are adopted by the groups listed above, IDC expects standalone desktop clients will be replaced with “serverstations,” according to Kusnetzky. Desktop systems will evolve from today's PCs into a “constellation of fixed function, intelligent devices,” Kusnetezky writes, adding, “Users will likely use multiple devices — often mobile — that offer varying degrees of local functionality to access [network-based] resources.”

Users of “pay-as-you-go” software services could be especially likely to pass over complex PCs in favor of affordable, portable, and widely available thin clients, according to Kusnetzky. Users with intense computational or storage needs, or those needing large displays, may continue to use standard PCs, though these systems, too, will interact with an increasing variety of special-purpose upstream and downstream systems.

The whitepaper next goes into specific detail about the “Red Hat Desktop” (RHD) distributions announced today, before presenting a strategic analysis of Red Hat's position in the changing enterprise software marketplace. Kusnetsky and Gillen conclude, “When this announcement [of Red Hat Desktop] is considered in conjunction with the joint Red Hat/Wind River announcement [see this link] to develop a strong embedded Linux environment, it becomes clear that Red Hat intends to be well positioned for both today's desktop market and for the emerging markets for both serverstations and smart devices.”

The article ends with a section of “Challenges and Opportunities” that Red Hat and other open source enterprise software providers, including Novell and IBM, could face, before concluding, “Although IDC does not advocate a total replacement of Windows client operating environment installations due to the reasons noted in this paper, we believe there are users that can leverage a Linux desktop environment as a next-generation solution and that Linux should be considered as one of the potential answers to challenges IT departments face.”

The entire whitepaper may be downloaded, after a brief registration and demographic survey has been completed.

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This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.