Software - Server/Network OS

L ike the desktop OS category, the server OS category is also dominated by Microsoft, with its Windows 2003 Server product. Surprisingly, despite Windows Server 2008 being newer, it's the older version that's still preferred by users. Maybe we'll see a change now that Windows Server 2012 is coming out. Windows 2k3 Server also gets the highest top of mind recall across both survey segments. This year, Linux managed to book a position toppling Windows NT (yes, the outdated OS still has good recall in this market!), with 90% loyal customers, across categories. The brand that managed to make a presence in third spot in 500+ employees category is Linux. And, it's Linux that has the highest number of loyal users in both segments.

In the 100-499 category, Windows 2003 and Windows 2008 Server have almost the same level of loyal customers which is 75%. Out of the remaining, 2% of Windows 2003 Server users are likely to shift out to Windows 2008 Server, while the remaining 11% were unsure which OS to shift to. 25% of Windows 2008 users have no plans as yet. 27% of Win 2000 Server users surprisingly said they'd like to move to Windows NT, whereas 13% were likely to move out to Windows 2003 Server. A meagre 3% were likely to switch over to RedHat Linux. So, the trophy stays at home, irrespective of which version of Windows Server is chosen by the users!

In 500+ employee segment, Linux outsmarts Windows 2000 Server and holds a loyal user base of 92%. Out of the remaining users, 4% plan to shift to Windows 2003 server and the remaining 4% are likely move to Caldera/SCO. Windows 2003 Server has a loyal user base of 82%, and of the remaining, 13% have no idea which brand to switch to. A meager 2% were likely to shift to Linux. Windows 2000 Server had a loyal user base of 67%, and of the remaining, 11% were likely to shift to Windows 2003 Server, and (interestingly) 17% to Windows NT.