Is Ubuntu Right For Your Small Office?

Deciding if Ubuntu is right for you as a desktop solution is as easy as downloading the live CD and taking Ubuntu for a test run. Trying to decide if Ubuntu is right for your small office is a little more complicated. Here are a few steps you should consider when trying to decide if Ubuntu is right for your small office.

What Are Your Small Office Software Needs?

Are your small office software needs bascially word processing, spreadsheets, email and browser based? Ubuntu will work fine as an office computing solution if this sounds like your small office setup.

There are four major types of software used in the small office, including

• Word Processor and Spreadsheet Program
• Email Application and Internet Browser
• Accounting Software
• Industry Specific, or Specialty Software

Word Processor and Spreadsheet Program:

OpenOffice is packaged with Ubuntu and your staff might even like many of OpenOffice’s features more than the Microsoft Word counterparts. OpenOffice can also handle your Excel files and other spreadsheets. OpenOffice is able to open your old Microsoft Office files or WordPerfect files. OpenOffice can convert to PDF and do all of the things you are accustomed to from a word processing point of view for your small office.

Email Application and Internet Browser:

Email and browsing will work just fine with a standard Ubuntu install. The same setup that works for a home desktop will likely work just as well for all of your office internet needs. You will have trouble completing PDF forms online, so if this is a must for your office, keep a Windows machine standing by.

Accounting Software:

Do you do alot of your own bookkeeping? Replacing bookkeeping can be a challenge when switching from Windows to Linux. If you are using Quickbooks, Quicken or any of the other mainstream accounting software for your business, you may be able to get it working under Wine. If not, you can try some of the great Linux based apps for accounting like GnuCash. GnuCash is a perfectly functional and powerful accounting app, the only thing is you have to know a little more about accounting than you do with the other mainstream apps. You don’t have to switch your accounting software, you can keep your current set of books running on your standby Windows machine.

Industry Specific, or Specialty Software:

Word processing, email and browsing will work fine with Ubuntu, but you will likely have a very difficult time getting specialty software to work. I use bankruptcy preparation software in my law practice and was unable to get the program to work in Wine or Cross Over. Ultimately, I had to resign myself to the fact that the specialty Windows program just won’t work right now in anythying but Windows. Again, keep that Windows machine on standby.

What Are Your Small Office Networking Needs?

Do you have a limited amount of workstations that are working well for you now? Do you want to upgrade to a file server or print server? Do you really want to get serious and have the ultimate thin client setup for your small office?

Ubuntu can do each of these and scales almost effortlessly to whatever you want to do with your current small office setup. File and print servers are basic office networking tasks that can take quite a bit of time in a Windows environment, but with Samba pre-packaged with Ubuntu, you can be sharing files and printers in less than 5 minutes.

Thin clients are the wave of the future as far as office computing is concerned and there is no reason you can’t use a thin client setup in your small office with Ubuntu. Edubuntu, one of the flavors of Ubuntu, is virtually a one-click thin client setup solution. Edubuntu has gained in popularity for schools with computer labs because of the painless thin client setup. A thin client setup in your small office can bring old computers that you thought had no purpose back to life. With a thin client setup using Ubuntu, every old computer can become a new workstation adding productivity to your small office.

What Is Your Level Of Linux Experience?

You’re probably running a small office because you hate big offices. If you’re like me, you are the IT staff. How much time can you take away from running your business to spend improving your business? Ubuntu can work as an office computing solution, but don’t run in tomorrow morning and convert every machine in the office.

Start with a desktop at home. Install Ubuntu as a dual boot option on your Windows desktop. Becoming familiar with printer and network setup outside of your office environment will help keep your sanity. The workplace is probably not the best place to cut your Linux teeth. Learning about setting up a RAID system while talking to clients on the phone can be done, trust me, but there are better ways to do it.

After you’ve become familiar with Ubuntu on your home desktop, take it to work with you. Your desktop at work is the best place to find out if Ubuntu can work in your small office. Once you are comfortable with it in the work setting, integrate it as file or print server. If you keep it on the office backend at first, your employees will likely be less frustrated in the long run.

After integrating Ubuntu as a solution for your small office networking and printing needs, pushing Ubuntu to your employees as a desktop solution is a more natural progression. Once your employees have embraced Ubuntu as an office desktop solution, explore the possibility of the ulitmate thin client setup for your small office.