SUSE displaces Red Hat @ Istanbul Technical University

Did you know the third-oldest engineering sciences university in the world is in Turkey? Founded in 1773, Istanbul Technical University (ITU) is one of the oldest universities in Turkey. It trains more than 40,000 students in a wide range of science, technology and engineering disciplines.

The third-oldest engineering sciences university selected the oldest Enterprise Linux company. Awesome match of experience! The university ditched the half-closed/half-open Red Hat products and went for truly open, open source solutions from SUSE.

When ITU’s server infrastructure became too costly to manage with its existing Linux setup, the university decided to implement SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for its own environment.

“We were running Red Hat Enterprise Linux, which relied on fairly expensive hardware and restricted the number of virtual servers that we were permitted to run,” Hakan Velioğlu, System Administrator at ITU.

This is a very familiar tale in recent times for SUSE. An organization would have started with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux with the hope of simplifying IT systems and creating an open source ecosystem to foster innovation for many years to come. However, they run into a complex maze of products from one vendor, restrictions leading to vendor lock-in, complex pricing plans and a half-closed/half-open software ecosystem. The IT organization eventually realizes that the half-closed/half-open approach of the vendor does not allow them to reach their business goals timely and efficiently.

Looking for alternatives, they often try the open, open source solutions from SUSE, and fall in love with the people, the culture and an air of openness. The IT team discovers they can “actually” run an efficient IT with the choice of open source tools that their real business needs dictate. In the case of Istanbul Technical University, they ran into some familiar issues:

• Complex pricing plans
• Rigid hardware requirements and restrictions

With SUSE, they get the best of both worlds – a trusted partner in SUSE who is always there to help, wherever you are across the globe 24×7 and the freedom to create an open source ecosystem that truly works for them.

“With SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, everything has become more open, more cost-effective, and easier to manage.” Istanbul Technical University (ITU)

People ask, what is the differentiator? Well, the SUSE DNA is the differentiator – it is all about the people. People, who are passionate about an open culture and tirelessly strive for excellence in the products and support they deliver. Istanbul Technical University expressed similar sentiment.

“In addition, we knew from our educational partnership that we could rely on SUSE as a company.” Istanbul Technical University (ITU)

Results at Istanbul Technical University

“Operating costs are no longer artificially inflated by rigid hardware requirements and restrictions, and SUSE’s clear pricing plans mean we can easily track how much we are paying for the solution. Having spent all these years teaching students how to manage SUSE environments, we now practice what we preach, and the university runs more efficiently for it.” Istanbul Technical University (ITU)

For the detailed report on ITU’s story, please visit Success Story of Istanbul Technical University 

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