A survey from the Linux foundation has found that 80 percent of enterprises plan to increase their Linux server deployments over the next five years.

According to the report, the adoption of the cloud in business circles is a major reason for the planned increases. The Linux Foundation says that increase deployment of Linux is starting to put a dent in Microsoft server sales.

Those surveyed reported that they were more likely to deploy Linux servers than Microsoft servers over the next five years.

The Linux Foundation’s report found that only 20 percent of those surveyed plan to increase the number of their Windows servers over the next five years.

That figure is in comparison to the 80 percent of respondents who plan on increasing their Linux server deployments over the same time frame.

A key reason for the lack of Windows deployments may be because of the recent release of Windows 8. According to the study, 39 percent of survey respondents say they are moving away from Microsoft because of the latest version of Windows.

Cloud computing was reported to be another key reason behind Linux adoption. The report found that 76 percent of cloud-enabled companies surveyed were using Linux servers to run their cloud.

“Cloud computing is a natural fit for Linux, as it depends on openness, and is an area where Windows is struggling,” the group wrote in its report.

The Linux Foundation found that the three main causes for the increase in Linux use were technical superiority, lower total cost of ownership, and security.

Reasons for enterprise’s hesitation to join the Linux community included lack of features, driver availability, interoperability, and the dearth of qualified workers trained in Linux.

The Linux Foundation reports that survey participants inability to find Linux trained staffers has increased by 11 percent year-over-year.

The study results come from a crop of survey responses from 1,279 businesses. About 355 of survey respondents make over $500m in annual revenue or staff over 500 employees.