What OSes Are North American Enterprises Using For Their Key Databases?

Server and independent software vendor (ISV) marketers often debate what operating systems (OSes) are best or most popular for running databases; so, we surveyed North American IT decision makers to find out what's out there. Software decision-makers report that Windows Server is the most commonly used OS for the database of their most important enterprise packaged applications by a large margin. But when we compared by category of OS, Unix matches Windows. One-third of firms each report using either Unix or Windows as a paired app and database OS, while 42% of respondents report using different operating systems for databases and applications (e.g., Windows Server for applications, Unix for database). The similar variety of OS installed base for key apps and databases means that marketers will face a fractured OS market for the foreseeable future — and should consider giving customers stronger guidance on which OS to chose.