Ubuntu & the finacial crisis!

[Mosaab]

hello every one..

I am thinking about starting a new business providing free OS (Ubuntu) and get paid by support. I have alot of connections here in this country including governments.

but lets forget those connections, how will a business like that do in the current financial problems ??

please give me your opinions.

Thanks

[Paqman]

So basically your plan is to use Ubuntu to compete against Canonical in your country? Hmm.

Have you considered approaching Canonical with your business plan and your contacts? If it's a genuine opportunity they might be able to offer you with support (maybe even in the form of money). That's got to reduce the risk involved in starting a new business.

[fatality_uk]

I suggest that ubnless you have a clear way of making money from free software, a general idea of starting a business will fail.

Trust me, contacts or no. There are 1,000's of small outfits offering a freos and trying to hang support off that. think about this, if you offered Ubuntu as your OS, can you really offer 24x7 support, with the same level of expertise that Canonical can offer for a lower price?


You need a USP. Unique, Selling Point. Start there. What can you offer that NO ONE else can. Offer that and there might be a chance.

[LowSky]

People always forget that a good business has to sell something no one else is selling or sell something for much cheaper than the other guy and still make a profit. Localized tech support in a country that has a little if any IT businesses might do well, but you need to support more than just the OS, like the hardware and other components like printers.

All of the biggest companies in the world got their start because they offered a product or service that no one else was offering. they kept getting bigger as competition came because they could do it better and for cheaper.

[Mosaab]

So basically your plan is to use Ubuntu to compete against Canonical in your country? Hmm.


actually I dont know if this is really competing Canonical!! lets say its a start to be a business partner with Canonical when i gain its trust for example.
do you mean that Canonical will mind it anyway?

the market in my country lacks the support of open source technologies. linux used to be (and still) an OS for servers only. alot of people have no idea that they can use it as a desktop OS. maybe the only company that provides Open source is Linux Redhat here. so I think yes ... I am doing something no one is doing (in my country).

as a servey, I spoke with more than 5 managers of medium size companies and I explained Open source .. and they said they would change to linux. and started asking when I am gonna start the company.

[albinootje]

as a servey, I spoke with more than 5 managers of medium size companies and I explained Open source .. and they said they would change to linux. and started asking when I am gonna start the company.

Curious which country this is. Is it in Asia or South America or Africa ?

Sounds like an interesting idea in these financial crisis times.
And I think the contacts and communication is much more important than the "you need to be unique and different" argument.

[Mosaab]

People always forget that a good business has to sell something no one else is selling or sell something for much cheaper than the other guy and still make a profit. Localized tech support in a country that has a little if any IT businesses might do well, but you need to support more than just the OS, like the hardware and other components like printers.

Ofcourse, Ubuntu is the main thing that I will count on .. my company will provide other services. like the whole IT in a company including everything.

New Idea ? a service that no one can provide but you? not always.

I am sure that there is more than a pizza store in your country and they make alot of money. what if there is only one in your country ? will you consider starting a similar business ?

[Mosaab]

Sounds like an interesting idea in these financial crisis times.
And I think the contacts and communication is much more important than the "you need to be unique and different" argument.

exactly thats what I am talking about.. actually I dont know why there is no much support companies for open source here .. windows is their god.

I am from United arab emirates .. and its a rich country.. and all the brands and big companies are here... but linux (especially desktop linux) is not really heard of here.

[Paqman]

actually I dont know if this is really competing Canonical!!


It definitely is. You're using the same business model, and even offering the same product.



lets say its a start to be a business partner with Canonical when i gain its trust for example.
do you mean that Canonical will mind it anyway?


Some kind of a partnership with Canonical would be better move than competing directly against them.

One thing to bear in mind: Canonical are a big company (over a hundred employees AFAIK) with a lot of money behind them and they can't turn a profit from Ubuntu. The chances of you doing so are much smaller. If you want to make money providing IT solutions i'd strongly advise you not to restrict yourself to Linux. As a small business you're going to need to be flexible. The big companies are always going to beat you on price, you need to be more adaptable than them to compete.

[Mosaab]

Some kind of a partnership with Canonical would be better move than competing directly against them.


as I said .. ubuntu will not be the only service .. there will be networking (Infrastructure) & other open source services and softwares.

plus ubuntu doesnt really have support here!! how I am competing ?

the thing that is I wanna provide support for ONLY open source and other services like networking and hardware support. and I dont wanna use any non open source. and I liked ubuntu the most among all other linux ditros. because its not gonna make an impact to users used to use windows because it much more user friendly over other linuxes.

[monsterstack]

Companies like Red Hat are the Linux vendors who are making the real money by selling software as a service. Canonical, generally, don't focus on this aspect as much. Canonical have even offered to provide support to some companies free of charge. Yes they operate at a loss; but Shuttleworth's fortune will tide them over for a while yet. They're more interested in getting recognition and making a name for themselves than making stacks of cash. It seems to be working well so far.

[Paqman]

I dont wanna use any non open source.

Your pretty much setting yourself up to serve a niche market then. Most of you potential clients don't care about open source vs proprietary. They just want IT that serves their business.

There are IT companies that specialise in providing open source-only solutions (eg: The Positive Internet Company (http://www.positive-internet.com/)) though, so there clearly is a certain amount of demand.

[Mosaab]

actually you guys say that this is competing canonical, while I say as monsterstack said , I think canonical is interested in getting recognized. as I think.
is there any thing illigal of starting this business regarding using Ubuntu or at least any thing that would displease canonical? cause I am thinking about being a partner with it in future

[Paqman]

is there any thing illigal of starting this business regarding using Ubuntu or at least any thing that would displease canonical? cause I am thinking about being a partner with it in future

The name "Ubuntu" and the logo are trademarks they own, you'll need permission to use those.

Have you looked into their partner programme (http://www.canonical.com/partners)?

[ugm6hr]

I am from United arab emirates .. and its a rich country.. and all the brands and big companies are here... but linux (especially desktop linux) is not really heard of here.

Some competitors for you to consider:
http://webapps.ubuntu.com/marketplace/asia/
See UAE at the bottom

I have read before that Canonical have no objection to any other companies supporting their product. Just can't find the reference now. Additionally, they will list you on the above-linked marketplace page if you ask nicely.

As far as I know, as long as you don't include "Ubuntu" in the name of your company, their should be no problem.

Good luck with your career.

[Mosaab]

Thanks man ..

Any way I have to contact Canonical before any step further ..that would make a clean start.

[Dragonbite]

hello every one..

I am thinking about starting a new business providing free OS (Ubuntu) and get paid by support. I have alot of connections here in this country including governments.

but lets forget those connections, how will a business like that do in the current financial problems ??

please give me your opinions.

Thanks

Sounds like it could work. I have a friend who does that for Windows and they pay him to sweat all of the details for setting up, upgrading and cleaning their infected machines as well as being their point of purchase for software and hardware.

The advantage is,
Being local, they get to know/rely on a person not a company.
You can offer more specific/related support as you will be intimately learning THEIR business, not be so generalized
Local phone call
While it's up to you to
Ensure you CAN support their needs
Gather a support network (including Canonical) for using when you are not able to do it yourself
Be knowledgeable of trends, threats and things coming down the line that may or may not effect them and their business
Be flexible
I've tried nudging my friend into offering Linux support, but his clients are not interested at this time plus he isn't as experienced with Linux as he is with Windows. I would help him, but I don't have THAT level of knowledge either (yet!).

Don't look at only Canonical for a support model, also look at RedHat (for Liux) which has been successful and there is a lot of information about "why choose Red Hat" that may give you a feel/idea.

[suitedaces]

Some competitors for you to consider:
http://webapps.ubuntu.com/marketplace/asia/
See UAE at the bottom

I have read before that Canonical have no objection to any other companies supporting their product. Just can't find the reference now. Additionally, they will list you on the above-linked marketplace page if you ask nicely.

As far as I know, as long as you don't include "Ubuntu" in the name of your company, their should be no problem.

Good luck with your career.

Is this it?

TG: What's the business model for Canonical?

MS Our business model is entirely based on services around our software. Because Canonical plays such a key role in Ubuntu, even though it doesn't monopolise access to it, we're a preferred partner for Ubuntu. Whether it's technical support, which we think people are more likely to buy from us than from anybody else, or whether it's engineering, customisation, or the enablement of the platform on particular hardware, Canonical has a privileged position.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/may/22/internet.software

[Mosaab]

thanks for the info guys,

one more thing .. what about training? i want one of the staff of the company or my self to be ubuntu certified to provide training. and in my country there is no ubuntu certification programs ...

[madjr]

thanks for the info guys,

one more thing .. what about training? i want one of the staff of the company or my self to be ubuntu certified to provide training. and in my country there is no ubuntu certification programs ...

http://www.ubuntu.com/training

good luck and remember you can also join a loco ubuntu team or help start one in your area :p

yes ubuntu is the future (well linux). The best security and no need to pay for software licences.

also once you find the perfect install you can always remaster the cd to fit the needs of those businesses you're going to support

[Mosaab]

Thank you..

but the traning website does not include ubuntu accredited organizations in UAE.. how can I get certified ? do I have to go to some country that has some accredited org. ?