Organizations are often attracted to free software by the belief they can save money by maintaining it themselves and avoiding subscription fees. But IDC’s business value research has found this is often not the case. Mounting operational costs associated with staffing, maintenance, and testing can quickly surpass perceived savings.

IDC interviewed organizations that have deployed subscription-based Red Hat^® solutions instead of using unpaid, community-supported software and found that the long-term value delivered substantially outweighs the subscription costs.

The business value to be gained with Red Hat solutions includes:

• 368% average 3-year return on investment (ROI).
• 5 months to payback.
• 35% lower 3-year cost of operations.
• 38% more efficient IT infrastructure teams.
• 63% less unplanned downtime.

Download the IDC whitepaper to learn more.