This is perhaps a silly question, but what is the first thing you use when you start your computer in the morning? For some people it’s their Email, others it’s Facebook, and others check the news first. But the real question is: “what do all these have in common?” They can all be accessed in a web browser.

Now most Windows users will go straight to Opera, Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, and many people also use Firefox. Mac users will likely use Safari or Firefox. While Linux users also have dozens of options, including some of the above, but the one that is common across all three is Firefox. Consequently, Linux Mint, our preferred operating system, has also standardized on Firefox, so this is the default browser that is packaged with it (of course, you can always install other browsers afterwards).

Standardizing on Firefox

On my network, we used a hodgepodge of browsers before I introduced Linux Mint. However, once I added the Linux computer, I standardized all the browsers on the network to use Firefox exclusively. It simplified my management of the network and tech support was also streamlined.

While standardization of applications wasn’t one of my original goals when I decided to add Linux to the mix, it does bring up an important point. Having multiple operating systems on a network limits the choices for everyday applications. While it may seem disappointing, from a management perspective, that is a good thing – making things simpler is always a plus.

Fortunately, Firefox has a very familiar interface, so it wasn’t difficult to convince everyone to switch. It also has some very good management tools that make installation, updates, and support very convenient. Firefox also has some handy power-user features that some of our team members welcomed. In short, it was an easy standardization to make. Most importantly, it did not negatively impact anyone’s workflow.

Standardizing on Firefox also established a precedent for me. I was now on a mission to standardize as many applications as I could find. However, since team members often have their favorite apps, this isn’t always a popular approach.

Truth-be-told, on our network, it was an uphill battle. I would need to approach this with introspection - the last thing I wanted to do was upset anyone’s productivity. While standardization would make my management of the network easier, I needed to show that there were benefits for switching – in short, every app required a case to be made.

Conclusion

The message here is simple: if the application is very similar to ones that people have become familiar with, then switching isn’t too difficult. That was the case with Firefox. However, when looking to switch to a different word processor, graphics application, email application, you need to consider three important factors:

1. Does it provide something more? Are there added features, a better interface, better integration, etc.

2. Does it impact workflow/productivity? if so, #1 above may not be enough.

3. Is it cost-effective? This includes the cost of switching, i.e. training, productivity, integrations.

More often than not, Entrepreneurs make executive decisions about software that do not take these factors into consideration. While it may not be apparent at first, these are small things that could add to the reasons an employee leaves, and that is always costly.

Of course, large companies and organizations make these mistakes as well. The difference it that dealing with turnover is much easier for them. Entrepreneurs need to be more careful, and this is especially true when introducing something very different like Linux Mint to the network.

In my upcoming blog posts, I will discuss how some of the software changes that Linux forced us to make impacted our company.