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Why Linux is good for the Indian government

Posted on by darion

India has faced numerous cyberattacks targeting its critical infrastructure, such as the 2019 Kudankulam nuclear power plant attack and the 2020 Mumbai power grid blackout, which has heightened the need for more secure systems.

Linux-based systems, such as the newly developed Maya operating system, are considered a more secure alternative to Windows due to their open-source nature, which allows for more rigorous security audits and reduces the number of security holes.

Linux is free and open-source, eliminating the need for expensive license fees associated with proprietary software such as Windows. This could result in significant cost savings for the government that could be redirected to other critical areas.

Security and price sensitivity – both problems can be solved with Linux

In 2006, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced that it had completed its migration to Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and that the move to this platform had saved $15 million in data center operating costs.

The Brazilian government is saving around 1,200 RAR ($500; £270) per workstation by switching from Microsoft Windows to Linux. This translates into potential annual savings of around $120 million.

A report published by Heroix suggests that even if you use an enterprise version of Linux (RHEL), which requires a license, there is a huge difference in the number of virtual CPUs you can have on RHEL, including all the official support you expect from Microsoft.

Being free is just one aspect of Linux. The main reasons governments are switching to Linux are privacy and security. Security is one of the key reasons Linux was also used on the International Space Station.

India is also a fast adopter of Linux. While Linux has about 4% of the global market share, in India Linux has about 15% market share and this is due to homegrown distributions like Maya OS.

Linux Desktop Market Share in India

Maya OS, which replaced Windows in the Indian Ministry of Defence, will most likely be implemented in the Army, Air Force and Navy, forming their future operating system.

Apart from Maya OS, India has developed BOSS (Bharat Operating System Solutions), a Linux-based distribution aimed at increasing security and reducing costs in various government offices and educational institutions.

BOSS is widely used in government departments in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab and Chhattisgarh. It supports multiple Indian languages ​​and is tailored for e-governance applications.

The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to implement BOSS Linux in e-government applications across the country, which will increase security and reduce costs.

Numbers that can help India (economically)

According to a study by the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), if 50% of retail PCs sold in 2010 used FOSS, the savings would be $205 million in operating system costs alone. For office software, the savings could reach $940 million.

For enterprise computers, replacing both the operating system and office productivity tools with FOSS software could save $966 million if 50% of computers were switched to FOSS software. In addition, by using Linux, which is less susceptible to viruses, India could save about $239.6 million in antivirus software costs.

More than 200,000 school computers in Kerala run a custom Linux distribution, IT@School GNU/Linux. The initiative is expected to save the state about $428 million in licensing fees.

Linux is used in ISRO

ISRO, known for conducting space exploration on a shoestring budget, also uses Red Hat Linux on most of its computers. Because Linux is super flexible, ISRO uses a stripped-down distribution called Raspbian to power receivers in the Tele-Education Broadcasting Program and the Disaster Warning System.