What am I worth as a Linux specialist?
You may have asked yourself that when you read that IBM had bought Linux specialist Red Hat for $34 billion....
Since its inception in 1993, Red Hat has obviously set the tone when it comes to Linux. The company showed the IT industry how to make money from open source software. Not by charging money for software licenses, but through subscriptions for maintenance and technical support for using the software.
Does IBM strengthen its cloud position with Linux specialist Red Hat?
The acquisition of Red Hat is IBM's biggest deal ever. And anyway one of the largest technology acquisitions ever in the United States. But it especially illustrates the important role the Linux operating system and open source model play in competing within the cloud market.
Red Hat is widely used in private clouds and can greatly strengthen IBM's position in the market for so-called “hybrid cloud” services (the combination of public and private clouds). IBM therefore calls the purchase of Red Hat a game changer. The company claims it will make it the world's No. 1 hybrid cloud provider. Something, incidentally, that not every analyst immediately agrees with.
Linux and open source important in the cloud market
The fact is that the use of the open source model and operating system Linux are becoming increasingly important within the cloud market. Even Microsoft is unmistakably making a transition toward Linux within its Azure environment. The company also recently purchased the software version control platform GitHub, which is used primarily for open source projects.
Can IBM catch up with Microsoft, Amazon and Google?
For IBM, it is important to catch up with players such as Microsoft, Amazon and Google. These three are considered the cloud market leaders by authoritative Gartner analysts in their 2018 Magic Quadrant on cloud infrastructure services. While IBM has been oscillating back and forth between the position of visionary (2015 and 2017) and niche player (2016 and 2018) for years, according to those same analysts. Red Hat may make the final move into the top 3. Emphatically, no layoffs have been announced either, and ceo Jim Whitehurst retains his position. IBM is not going to tell Red Hat what to do. Red Hat needs to teach IBM what open source in the cloud can deliver.
What about your value, dear Linux specialist?
We are gradually growing toward a situation where “IT runs on the cloud, and the cloud runs on Linux,” as technology Web site ZDNet succinctly summarizes it. In that case, you don't need to have studied higher mathematics to know what that means for your position as a Linux specialist.
Your specialty is needed by cloud service providers but equally needed by companies migrating toward that cloud. Your knowledge and experience will be called upon more and more heavily. A pleasant feeling, especially if you have been thinking for some time about what your next challenge might be. We are happy to talk further with you. Because at Striive we know what you are worth, Linux specialist.