With Paula Hunter, new V.P. of U.S. marketing for Collax. Hunter formerly worked with the Open Source Development Lab.
Question: What is it about open source software — aside from the cost savings -- that makes it attractive to SMBs
Hunter: Well, cost savings is of course important to every business, but SMBs
often have to make sure every dollar they are spending has the maximum
possible ROI. Beyond that, SMBs aren't really that different from a
large company when it comes to their IT needs. They want something that
has reliability and security and that requires as little in-house IT
support as possible. Up until now, Linux needed more expertise than
most SMBs could reasonably bring to the table, so it was out of reach
as a technology alternative.
Question:
Collax products are marketed as Linux operating system solutions that enable users
with no Linux knowledge to run their businesses. Can you elaborate on
that?
Hunter: Let's face it -- until now,
Linux has been the stuff of geeks (and I say that with extreme
affection). A typical Linux operating system distribution might come complete with
thousands of projects. Most companies don't need or want all that.
Someone who understands Linux knows what to do with all those options,
but for an SMB, this is overkill and overwhelming. The Collax business
server is a "pre-packaged" Linux distribution with applications that we
have pre-tested, pre-approved and pre-assembled to ensure reliability
and interoperability. We select the applications that an SMB is most
likely to need and get rid of all those that are never likely to be
touched.
Question: Is it a coincidence that you are coming aboard just in time to move Collax headquarters from Europe to the U.S.?
Hunter:
No, it is not a coincidence. I am joining Collax to help launch the
company and its product — a Linux server for small business — in the
United States. My background in open source will help Collax establish
an identity in this country within the open source community.
This 3 Questions originally appeared in a weekly report from IT Business Edge.
