Ubuntu Case Study: Munich's IT Transformation

This assignment examines the case study of Munich's transition from proprietary Microsoft technologies to the open-source platform Ubuntu. The city's motivation stemmed from cost-effectiveness and a desire to reduce vendor lock-in. The LiMux project successfully deployed Linux across 12,000 devices, resulting in significant financial savings and demonstrating the viability of open-source solutions for large-scale IT infrastructure.

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Task 2
This work involves taking up a case study on one of the platforms chosen in task 1.
Ubuntu an open source technology platform has been chosen here for the case study. This
provides a sense of amazement when seen delivering miraculous performances of tasks given to
it. I choose Ubuntu as the case study topic to establish the fact that an open source platform can
provide tough competition to proprietary platforms with respect to technological features
proposed.
Challenge
Munich, the third largest city of Germany is a region inhabited by 1.5 million people.
16,000 people out of roughly 30,000 comprising the local government body, use computers as a
device in their daily activities. It is of high essence to connect various people located far apart
and having different needs via a medium of proper and easy communication for the correct
orderly functioning of the entire society. There were 22 organisations functioning to provide IT
infrastructure support to other organisations as well as controlling their own needs, like policy
management, patches, installations, user level access, networks and sharing etc, in 2001.
At that time the most popular OS, Windows NT was nearing its retirement while it was a
bit too early for Windows XP, the new GUI instalment from Microsoft. This provided some
necessities that could replace the previous system and be capable enough to deliver the needs of
the existing system, namely:
Numerous applications.
Cross platform support.
Hardware support.
Durable and easy to maintain.
Freedom from vendor lock-in.
Considerations
It was never a simple choice for Munich to use an open source technology platform, as
Microsoft was widely in use in most of the city corporate and government departments, for a
very long time, from macros to networking servers utilised for communication amongst various
private and public departments. Although, for a short span of time, Munich would go on with the
usage of Microsoft technologies, but keeping in mind both the short and long term effects it was
necessary to switch over to something more cost-effective. Thus it was decided to shift over to
open source systems to help develop the city network. It was now a question of choice regarding
which open source platform to move ahead with. This process was really challenging as the
entire city’s IT infrastructure had to be entirely re-organised, unlike migrating a simple desktop
application program. This trend might have been able, to start a chain of such trends of migrating
away from Microsoft technologies. Hence, in an attempt to sabotage this trend, Microsoft made

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CEO Steve Ballmer to arrive early from his vacation just to arrange a meeting with the mayor of
Munich in person and talk with him against doing this.
Solution
In 2006 the first shift from Microsoft technology was observed with few systems
installing Debian as a pilot project. Although the project shift was decent, there was a need for
uninterrupted and long term hardware support as well supporting system software. Hence, the
city changed their system needs to Kubuntu, which is a version of the Ubuntu Operating System
belonging to the Linux kernel. This project being a considerable shift of technology from
Microsft to open source platforms, gave rise to doubts in the heart of a number of stakeholders,
which led to creation of public forums and blogs to keep them informed and also provide them a
platform to voice their concerns as well as get relevant answers.
Results
LiMux project fulfilled its goals of deploying Linux Based operating systems to 12,000
devices by 2012. This shift form a proprietary technology platform to an open source helped in
saving the city €10 Million. Thus this amount used to invite external companies into the city to
set up the system for their services, was completely saved using this migration in technology.
The city economically saved about €6.8 million singularly on Microsoft Licensing In August
2013, the entire cost of the project amounted to €23 Million which was much cheaper than the
price of updating to Windows 7 and later version of Microsoft Office. Otherwise it would have
cost the city about €34 Million.
Conclusion
As is shown from the facts mentioned above, an open-source operating system can
replace the proprietary systems in terms of technological features as well as perform better than
them in various aspects. Ubuntu has been used extensively as an operating system for the city’s
working board by those who have had previous experience on working with Windows platforms.
Not only have they easily accepted Ubuntu but have felt easier in its work environment. On
finding it much cheaper the city backed its use on a larger scale.
References:
https://insights.ubuntu.com/2014/07/07/ubuntu-and-open-source-help-the-city-of-
munich-save-millions/