Microsoft Windows vs. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Windows
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Windows is an operating system with editions to support business workstations.N/A
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
The SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is distribution of the Linux operating system originally developed in Germany.N/A
Pricing
Microsoft WindowsSUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft WindowsSUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft WindowsSUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Windows
Chose Microsoft Windows
I haven't used other OS.
Chose Microsoft Windows
We selected Microsoft Windows because of the user friendly nature of it and a big factor is that other user never used macOS or Ubuntu so the productivity will decrease a lot because you have to explain a whole new OS. I always only recommend MacOS or Ubuntu if you are a …
Chose Microsoft Windows
It's very different if we compare it with a Linux distribution. It's not free, and many apps you can get are paid (Office 365, for example). But also, you pay for a widely known product and a product that nearly every employee knows how to use. Linux is used more by sysadmins …
Chose Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows and MacOS are both useful operating systems. There are businesses who much prefer MacOS and some that prefer Windows. Businesses that revolve around industries such as game design, art design, graphic design may opt to use MacOS due to its optimization with …
Chose Microsoft Windows
Windows runs literally every piece of software I need to work. Installations are usually quick and uncomplicated, and configuration is usually quite simple, rarely requiring finding config files and editing them manually.

I chose Windows only because I had no other choice, …
Chose Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows OS is very secure and user-friendly. When compared to Kali Linux, various other open source OS'es, and Apple iOS, this system keeps up well with their competition. As an end user, I have used all three systems, and each has its positive and negative points. …
Chose Microsoft Windows
Windows is fundamentally different from Linux, each shines in their own spots and has cons as well.
Chose Microsoft Windows
Because of its compatibility with third-party software requirements.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Performance is much better of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server than other product which I have used.
Chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server works well with the SUSE Manager, it really simplifies everything.
We also do have SUSE 4 SAP, and the SUSE Manager is able to manage them all, even other (up to date) Linux distributions. Patching has never been that easy and the SALT integration …
Chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
We find SUSE to be as good or better in all categories especially version upgrade paths. Once you have in upgraded a 10 year old OS 4 full versions with only 5 reboots in 3 hours you will not want to go back to dead end rebuilds.
Chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
We went straight to SLES when we initially started migrating oracle to hana since at that time, HANA came on a pre-installed server that had to be purchased from an official vendor, and SLES was the only allowed OS. We stuck with SLES after we became certified to do our own …
Chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
The lack of professional support in distributions like Debian or Ubuntu were crucial for the decision using SUSE instead.
Chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
For our environment, SLES provides a more cost-efficient, standards-based Linux with Enterprise support available than their competitors. They also provide the best compatibility between their enterprise Linux and community distributions.
Chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
For running SAP workloads, I'd definitely recommend using SLES. AIX is running on power infrastructure which is very pricey and RedHat required a different license and a lot more parameterization to get SAP up and running properly.
Chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
SLES is comparable to RedHat, where both of them have massive customer loyalty in their own niche markets.
However, RedHat is much widely used, even though both of them are RPM-based. RedHat has the backing of the USA tech companies which just make them a giant compared to …
Chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
It is very similar, but SLES wins on the manageability front, with good built-in tools, the ability to upgrade major versions, and the ability to run on the latest Power 9 systems. It is our platform of choice for SAP; there is great collaboration between SAP and SUSE, and it …
Chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
We consulted our service provider on their recommendation and made some research ourselves. It was a hands down win for Suse Linux on both fronts so we readily chose Suse Linux for our operating system of choice.
Red Hat and Centos would almost be of the same distro package, …
Chose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
We have been using RHEL in most of our other projects. We chose Suse Linux for their pricing model and ease of patching. There is no other major pros and cons of RHEL over Suse Linux and vice versa.
Best Alternatives
Microsoft WindowsSUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Small Businesses
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Score 8.7 out of 10
Ubuntu
Ubuntu
Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.3 out of 10
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.3 out of 10
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
Score 9.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft WindowsSUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.5
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft WindowsSUSE Linux Enterprise Server
Likelihood to Recommend
I highly recommend it because it's the most used operating system in the world. If you work with other organizations or share info, it's easier if you have the same system instead of Linux, for example. Also, a large number of employees know how to use it, but not so many know how to use Linux or macOS.
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SLES is a good fit for running supported enterprise applications like SAP, HANA, oracle,.. We use it to run all our SAP workloads, and so far everything has worked great. All libraries are right in the repository, all documentation is correct and the support answers really fast in case you have problems.
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Pros
  • Great integration with my business accounting software Quickbooks
  • Great integration with Microsoft Office 365
  • Easy to find files that I haven't used in awhile with search feature
  • Simple, easy to find listing of programs available
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  • Seems Custom made for SAP workloads
  • Longest standing collaboration between platform and apps
  • SuSE for SAP works seamless on-prem, on SAP Cloud, Azure, AWS & GCP
  • Support for oldest SP of SuSE so our customers can run their business without fear
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Cons
  • Forced updates occasionally have bad timing when ignored for too long
  • Microsoft Edge Web Browser is a bit clunky
  • The 3D desktop still needs some improvement
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  • The support window for service packs after a new SP is released is too short.
  • Community engagement is low.
  • There are times when supported packages fall too far behind and create compatibility issues with applications. The Open Build Service usually provides a way around this, though.
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Usability
An all-purpose operating system for business or personal users. Overall, the OS is very user-friendly and intuitive, enabling even new users to quickly utilize the system. The same can be said about the apps within Windows. There is also good cross-functionality between applications, although the ease of use could be improved.
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For the breadth of services, features and overall performance, I believe Suse Linux is a great choice for any enterprise. It still has to grow a bit in areas like online help forums and documents, but we are pretty much satisfied with our choice.
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Support Rating
support remains spotty, researching online articles are a pain
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It's great for basic support issues. But it's less suited for anything that is either obscure or uncommon, and it is very hard to escalate, unless you've built a relationship with your vendor/salesperson.
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Online Training
No answers on this topic
Third party training was fast but mostly unnecessary as we were already Unix trained and Linux familiar
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Implementation Rating
MDT helped deploy OS to users machines via PXE boot.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
We selected Microsoft Windows because of the user friendly nature of it and a big factor is that other user never used macOS or Ubuntu so the productivity will decrease a lot because you have to explain a whole new OS. I always only recommend macOS or Ubuntu if you are a graphic designer of a developer. But for the day to day office work Microsoft Windows is the way to go.
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SUSE Linux Enterprise Server works well with the SUSE Manager, it really simplifies everything. We also do have SUSE 4 SAP, and the SUSE Manager is able to manage them all, even other (up to date) Linux distributions. Patching has never been that easy and the SALT integration is also working without any problems.
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Scalability
No answers on this topic
We have successfully deployed on physical servers, VMs and in cloud all over the globe from templates of our own design
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Return on Investment
  • As a a windows-based app, with a windows-using customer base, working in the environment is extremely helpful.
  • Relatively easy to develop on, there is documentation and support widely available.
  • VERY wide hardware compatibility, any replacement parts we need for our machines are easy to use.
  • Windows updates frequently fail requiring our MSP or more often one of our customer support staff to intervene to get them running again.
  • Poor performance and inefficient resource utilization requires frequent upgrades.
  • Windows 10's service ending next year has required company-wide hardware upgrades due to the Windows 11's excessive requirements.
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  • It allows a very small team to manage a large number of servers, due to its automation and manageability.
  • SAP supports it very well, making it straightforward to manage. There are also "recipes" for Oracle which has all of the requisites to install an Oracle DB; which helps with deployment immensely.
  • It lets us run large SAP instances in SLES on Power, helping us with support, manageability, and performance.
  • Support costs are high, but required for SLES for SAP.
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ScreenShots