Linux desktops for business.
A Linux desktop replaces Windows on a staff computer with a supported Linux operating system, built for the job that person does. Most office work now happens in a browser, so for many teams the computer underneath can be simpler, cheaper to run and harder to attack.
We set up and manage Linux desktops for UK businesses, and we are booking 2027 planning meetings now: how to cut your cyber exposure, your costs and your complexity, and keep up with the way work is changing.
Why are businesses looking at Linux desktops for 2027?
Four pressures, all landing on the same desks.
- Windows 10 has ended. Microsoft stopped supporting it in October 2025. PCs that cannot take Windows 11 now need paid Extended Security Updates, which cost more each year, or replacing. An unsupported operating system also fails Cyber Essentials.
- Licences keep rising. Microsoft prices go up, and AI licences now sit on top. A desk that works in the browser does not need a Windows licence on it.
- Every extra program is exposure. Each one is something to patch, something to license and something an attacker can use.
- Most desks carry far more than the job needs. Many people use a browser, email, Teams and two or three business apps. Everything else is cost and risk.
Same job, two desks.
An accounts assistant who works in Xero, Outlook and Teams all day. Everything on the left has to be patched, licensed and defended.
- Windows, and its monthly updates
- Office desktop apps, most of them unused
- A PDF reader, a zip tool, a second browser
- Printer and manufacturer utilities
- Software someone installed years ago
- A Windows licence, and a PC that may not take Windows 11
- A supported Linux, updated overnight
- A browser, locked to the work it needs
- Microsoft 365 and Teams, same accounts and MFA
- Xero
- The office printer
- Nothing else
What a Linux desk changes.
Less on each desk means less to attack, less to pay for and less to look after. Building and running custom desktops used to need a team of Linux specialists. With today's tooling, and AI doing much of the repetitive work, we can do it for you at the scale of a normal business.
Can a Linux desktop pass Cyber Essentials?
Yes. Cyber Essentials treats a Linux desktop like any other device. It needs a supported operating system, high and critical security updates within 14 days, a firewall, secure configuration, controlled user accounts and malware protection. A managed Linux desk has all of these, so it can sit inside your Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and DCC scope.
With less installed on each desk, there is also less to check and less to evidence. See what each scheme asks for: Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and Defence Cyber Certification.
Is Linux right for your business?
For most businesses the answer is some desks, not all of them. A mixed estate is normal, and we manage both.
A good fit
- Teams that work in a browser all day: sales, support, admin, operations and contact centres
- Accounts teams on cloud software such as Xero
- Shared desks, hot desks and reception PCs
- PCs that cannot take Windows 11
- Businesses that want fewer tools and fewer licences to manage
Better left on Windows or Mac
- Software that only runs on Windows, such as some CAD, design and desktop accounting packages
- People who rely on desktop-only Excel features or macros
- Specialist hardware with Windows-only drivers
We check this desk by desk at the planning meeting, before anything changes.
How does moving to Linux desktops work?
In stages, starting small, with nothing switched off before its replacement works.
2027 planning meeting
What you run today, what each team does all day and what it costs. Where Linux fits, and where it does not.
A pilot team
A few desks doing real work, so your people try it before anyone commits.
Roll out in stages
Team by team, planned to minimise disruption, with older PCs rebuilt rather than replaced where they are up to it.
Managed and monitored
Updates, monitoring, support and monthly reporting, alongside the rest of your IT.
Common questions
Can we still use Microsoft 365 on Linux?
Yes, in the browser: Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive and SharePoint, with the same accounts and multi-factor authentication. The desktop Office apps do not run on Linux, so anyone who depends on desktop-only Excel features stays on Windows.
Can a Linux desktop pass Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus?
Yes. It needs a supported operating system, high and critical updates within 14 days, a firewall, secure configuration, controlled user accounts and malware protection, the same as any other device. A managed Linux desk has all of these and can sit inside your Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and DCC scope.
What can we do with PCs that cannot run Windows 11?
Many business PCs that fail the Windows 11 requirements run a current, supported Linux well. We check each one at the planning meeting and tell you which are worth keeping and which are not.
Do we have to move everyone?
No. Most businesses move the teams that work in a browser and keep Windows or Mac where software needs it. We manage the mixed estate as one service.
Will our staff find it hard?
For people who work in a browser all day, very little changes: they sign in, and their email, Teams and business apps are where they expect them. We start with a pilot team so you can see for yourself.
Can we move away from Microsoft and Google altogether?
For some businesses, yes. Email, files and documents can move to open-source or UK-hosted alternatives, which also keeps more of your data under UK control. It is a bigger change than the desktop, so we plan it separately and only where it makes sense for how you work.
How much does it cost?
Managed support is £65 a user a month + VAT, with a £650 monthly minimum, on our published rate card. The saving usually comes from licences and hardware: no Windows licence on each desk, and PCs kept in service for longer. At the planning meeting we cost your current setup against a Linux one, desk by desk.
Plan 2027 with less to manage.
Book a planning meeting. We will look at what you run today and show where Linux desktops would cut your cyber exposure, your costs and your complexity.