Licence savings using free software
There are many examples of open source software products that are better than their proprietary equivalents, but one of the key advantages is the cost.
Here are some example licensing costs associated with software products, based on a school with 400 desktops and 1,500 users.
Cost comparison
| Service or solution | Proprietary | Open source |
| Content Filtering | £2,000 | Free |
| SAN 6TB | £10,000 | £1,500 |
| Desktop Imaging Server | £4,000 | Free |
| Network Monitoring | £3,000 | Free |
| Collaboration System (Microsoft Sharepoint) | £10,000 | Free |
| Backup services | £2,500 | Free |
| Windows and Office School Agreement (per year) | £13,000 | Free |
| Virtual Infrastructure | £10,000 | Free |
| Window Servers (4) | £1,000 | Free |
| Totals | £55,000 | £1,500 |
| Potential licence saving | £53,500 |
