Linux has gained further credibility in the enterprise after most IT managers said that they would consider the open source operating system as a platform for email.

Over half of respondents to a recent survey indicated that they would seriously consider switching to Linux messaging over the next two years, if there was no disruption to end users.

The independent study, undertaken by Osterman Research, also showed that over 80 per cent would consider switching to a web-based email client if it had the same functionality as current desktop clients.

A more modest 21 per cent of senior IT professionals were actively enthusiastic about Linux, stating that they would actually prefer the operating system for their entire email infrastructure if they could scrap their current email system.

Over 40 per cent indicated that they would 'probably' or 'definitely' replace their back-end messaging infrastructure for one with better performance or lower costs, if it allowed them to keep their current desktop clients.

A further 20 per cent plan to migrate to a different vendor's messaging system within the next 24 months.

The Osterman survey also gathered data on barriers to migrating to a Linux-based email infrastructure. The top reasons were insufficient Linux messaging expertise and expected disruption to end users.

"The survey shows that Linux is a key platform for messaging and that its market share is increasing," said Michael Osterman, head of Osterman Research.