• Jobs
  • Employers
  • Our Team
  • Insights
  • Login
  • Sign up
CyberCoders
CyberCoders
  • Sign Uparrow
  • Loginarrow
  • Jobsarrow
  • For Employersarrow
  • Our Teamarrow
  • Resourcesarrow
  • Homearrow
← Back to Insights

Why is Linux in High Demand?

By Guest Contributor - October 5th, 2014
Tech News

“Today, Linux lives in everything from cars to smartphones, gaming consoles to the Mars Rover—in addition to servers,” says Ross Brunson, Director of Member Services at the Linux Professional Institute (LPI), a Linux training organization.

The demand for Linux jobs is surging due to rising adoption trends across Linux distributions and for applications, such as the Internet of Things (IoT, embedded systems) and, of course, virtualization.
Yet, the cry for Linux skills remains unmet due to the large investment of time and effort required to fully develop them.

It's hard to nurture enough talent to keep pace with the need in the field.

“In the US, the training and professional development support to bridge the Linux skills gap is lacking,” Brunson says.

Which Roles and Industries Require Expertise in Linux?

While hiring managers across industries eagerly welcome qualified candidates into open positions, several industry verticals see especially vibrant interest in Linux talent.

“I see the market calling for Linux capabilities for positions such as Virtualization Architects and Device Driver Development Engineers,” says Kesav Nagaraj, Lead, Forward Systems, Unisys, a global IT company.

These roles suit people who like making many systems work on fewer machines or creating software that makes devices such as peripherals work with computers, respectively.

The demand for Linux spans a number of other roles. “We are currently hearing from managers asking for Linux Systems Administrators, Linux Application Developers, Linux Systems Engineers, and Networking Engineers with knowledge of Linux Services traffic,” Brunson says. Fields addressing Big Data are also looking for candidates with Linux skills.

Some industries absolutely crave Linux.

Technology verticals with strong appetites include Hosting, Cloud Services, High-Performance Computing, Mobile Device Manufacturers, and Consumer Electronics, according to data from the Linux Professional Institute and from Unisys.

Other verticals with a sweet tooth for Linux include aerospace, defense, industrial (gas & oil), medical, and pharma. Banking & finance, government agencies and education round out enterprise categories with a heightened need for Linux experts.

Linux Skills Are in Short Supply

The changing technology environment highlights Linux competencies in short supply. “Due to the advent of many new devices, I see a clear need for Linux kernel/file system level developers,” Nagaraj says.

The Kernel is the center of the OS brain. On the operations side, enterprises migrating mission-critical workloads from UNIX to Linux need capable engineers to engage with the process from start to finish.

LPI sees hot demand for candidates with Linux administration abilities, including core systems knowledge and skillsets in security, web development and database administration.

The trend is to bring people on board who can run and maintain a set of services. There is also a need for those who understand Linux as a platform and have experience with frameworks and storage as well as the OS. “It’s important to apply Linux efficiently in context," Brunson says.

Hiring managers frequently request people with training in KVM, Xen, VMware, and Hyper-V hypervisors and with cutting edge technologies like docker.io.

They also want people who are fluent in Foreman and Puppet for systems and configuration management. The market is also hungry for the latest skills including software-defined storage, which runs on a Linux base, and skills in the software-defined data center.


This article was written by David Geer, technology writer and journalist.

JobAlerts
Sign up now and we'll deliver fresh jobs right to your inbox!
Sign Up

Looking for jobs hiring?

Thousands of full-time and remote jobs in every industry. Search jobs.

Are you hiring for your team?

We'll find you the right candidate, fast. Get started.

Want to join our team?

Our recruiters connect people with great opportunities and help our clients build amazing teams. Learn more.

Recent Articles

Career Advice
Career Advice
March 10th, 2023
How to Avoid Playing “The Blame Game” At Work
By Sawyer Smith - March 10th, 2023
March 10th, 2023
Pointing fingers is something we’ve all been guilty of in the past. On the flip side, everyone also knows what it feels like to be the one pointed at. It’s a terrible feeling, and one that often sews ...
Read more →
How to Avoid Playing “The Blame Game” At Work
Career Advice
Inside CyberCoders
Inside CyberCoders
March 6th, 2023
CyberCoders' Awards, Accolades and History
By The CyberCoders Team - March 6th, 2023
March 6th, 2023
1999 – CyberCoders is founded and headquartered in Irvine, CA. 2000 – 2005: The Beginnings  2004 -  Cyrus,  our proprietary ATS, launches for the first time. 2006 – 2009: Innovations...
Read more →
CyberCoders' Awards, Accolades and History
Inside CyberCoders
Career Advice
Career Advice
March 4th, 2023
Workplace Wellness: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
By Sawyer Smith - March 4th, 2023
March 4th, 2023
If you’ve been paying attention to workplace trends over the last few years, chances are you’ve heard the term ‘workplace wellness’. Companies across the globe have been implementing wellness initiati...
Read more →
Workplace Wellness: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Career Advice
Tap to close
Looking for a qualified candidate?
Let us find a match in 3 business days or less.
Get Started Now
  • Writers
  • Insights
Cybercoders
Follow Us
  • Browse Jobs
  • Browse Skills
  • Browse Locations
  • Employers
  • Our Team
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Careers
  • Resources
Copyright © 1999 - 2023. CyberCoders, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Policy Cookie Settings
CyberCoders is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, status as a crime victim, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. CyberCoders will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law.  CyberCoders is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you need special assistance or an accommodation while seeking employment, please email Benefits@cybercoders.com. We will make a determination on your request for reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis. UnitedHealthcare creates and publishes the Transparency in Coverage Machine-Readable Files on behalf of CyberCoders.

Upgrade your career

Submit your application

Take the next step towards applying for the position

Login to CyberCoders

Login using existing account

Personalized Job Alerts

Your resume unlocks Job Alerts and smart features

10 Applies with 1 Click

Your resume unlocks Quick Apply and smart features
Upload your resume
Browse
Must be 8 characters long and use letters and numbers.
Already have an account? Login.
Forgot Password? Don't have an account? Sign up.
By submitting your information, you consent to our sharing of your information with our clients and affiliates to support you in finding a job and to send you emails and text messages about jobs you may be interested in and other promotional emails. California applicants, please see California Applicant Privacy Policy for more information.
✖