A study conducted by analyst firm Freeform Dynamics and commissioned by IBM claims that Linux desktops are easier to implement than IT staff expected if they targeted the right groups of users, such as those who have moderate and predictable use of e-mail and office tools

The research behind the report entitled Linux on the Desktop: Lessons from Mainstream Business Adoptionwas compiled via an online survey that polled 1,275 IT professionals from the U.K., U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries across Western Europe and the Nordics. 90 percent of the study's respondents had direct experience with desktop Linux deployment in their business.

According to Freeform Dynamics' analysis of the data, experienced users said that Linux on the desktop was best achieved when it was first targeted to groups of non-technical users. Transaction workers and general professional workers were seen as more than twice as likely to be primary targets for desktop Linux adoption than mobile and creative staff. A majority of the respondents indicated that Linux desktop deployments to these targeted groups was easier than anticipated.

Notable statistics of the study include:

• 71% of respondents indicated cost reduction as their primary driver for adoption.
• 35% stated the ease of securing the desktop was another primary driver
• 32% cited the lowering of overheads associated with maintenance and support in general were factors contributing to the benefit of desktop Linux adoption
• Those with experience of Linux desktop rollouts are 50% more likely to regard non-technical users such as general professional users and transaction workers as primary targets for Linux
• 58% of those with prior experience of a Linux desktop rollout see general professional users as primary targets
• 52% of those with prior experience of a Linux desktop rollout see transaction workers as primary targets.
• 32% of those with prior experience of a Linux desktop rollout see power users as primary targets.
• 47% of respondents said usability was the main consideration when evaluating or selecting a desktop Linux distribution for use in a business environment