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Is Ubuntu well-suited as a small business solution? I have a very scared part time IT manager who thinks it's not suitable. Please can you clarify?

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Welcome to Ask Ubuntu! This sort of discussion is a better fit for the Ubuntu Forums. – Jorge Castro Dec 19 '11 at 22:52
a Scared IT manager? how dares he even touch a computer after saying that.. lmao – Uri Herrera Dec 20 '11 at 0:16
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Does this IT manager know how to access the Internet? Direct him to this link: canonical.com/about-canonical/resources/case-studies – grahammechanical Dec 20 '11 at 1:08
I'll join in with a relevant link of my own: canonical.com/about-ubuntu/for-business – WarriorIng64 Dec 20 '11 at 2:55
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Additionally, this question could be improved if you provided specific concerns your IT manager has so we can properly address them. Why exactly is he against it? – WarriorIng64 Dec 20 '11 at 3:08
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closed as not constructive by Jorge Castro, htorque, Uri Herrera, Marco Ceppi♦ Dec 20 '11 at 6:23

As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.

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Ubuntu is perfectly suitable for business use in general. To compare, Microsoft has different versions of Office directed at personal use and students and other versions for professionals. The software itself is pretty much the same, but with different restrictions. For instance, if you buy MS Office for personal use, you can't legally use it in your small business. Another example is Windows Small Business Server. This is just a bundle of Windows Server software with a limit to how many users you are allowed to have, etc. Because of these restrictions, the price of the software can be lowered because you couldn't use it for larger businesses.

With Ubuntu, there are no ultimate editions or personal use only editions. Everyone gets the best software available. I see no reason why LibreOffice should be more or less useful to large companies than it is to small businesses, students or personal users, for instance. We know for a fact that it is useful to very large companies and organizations. So, as a general answer to a general question, I would say that yes, Ubuntu is very much suitable for small businesses.

As a general advise, I'd recommend that you define your needs, rather than labeling yourself simply as a small business. There might be differences between a hair dresser and a small law firm, for instance.

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Thank you Jo for your reply. There is one or two specific reasons why windows must stay and that is because the company uses Sage 200 for accounting. I already have a solid solution for that winxp in a virtual box. The other is connecting to an MSSQL database, but I am beginning to learn that connecting using JTDS though its rather slow to connect on Libreoffice. – Shaneo1 Dec 20 '11 at 17:31

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