Firstly,
it is important to make one distinction about what open source is not – open
source software is not freeware. While open source products are free, there exist many proprietary
products which are marketed on zero-outlay business models, such as loss
leader, advertising-based, limited feature, thirty day trial etc. Software
released under these and similar models is collectively known as freeware and it is not open source.
Ultimately, the companies releasing these products will seek to profit from
them in some fashion and, more importantly, you as a user do not have access to the code behind them. This is the difference
that distinguishes open source from other software licensing models and it is a
vital one for your business, as we shall see later.
There
are many positive reasons why open source software is a good model on which to
base the IT strategy of your business. Among these are:
Breaking the supply chain – When you start buying products and services from
a private company, they will commonly try to encourage you to use them as a
sole supplier. There are numerous methods by which they do this; certification,
special offers, bulk purchasing, support agreements, partnership models, etc.
The end results is that, even if prices rise or quality decreases, it can often
be very difficult to switch from a now inferior supplier as it might mean
changing the whole basis of your IT structure.
Reduce Costs - With
open source software, there is no profit motive involved. This means there is
no incentive to hook you into an aggressive and competitive sales model that is
ultimately created to benefit a third party. By removing the marketing element
from the supply chain, you cut out the cost of the middle-man, receiving a high
quality product, without the cost of proprietary software and services. This is
of particular value to organisations with typically low budgets, such as public
sector departments, charities and social enterprises.
Transparency - Not
only is there a financial incentive for freeing yourself a from single vendor
but you are no longer reliant on their word for the quality of the products you
use. Open source software is based on an open and independent development
model, meaning that any qualified person is free to look at the processes and
content used to create the software and assess its quality and suitability for
purpose for themselves.
Customisable – An off-the-peg IT solution may very well not be
suitable for your organisational needs. If this is the case, the open source
model allows your in-house or third-party IT developers to alter the software
so that it meets your requirements. The structure of the software and its
licensing is designed to make re-designing the products both practical and
legal. Not only is there existing official documentation to help you do this
but there is also a wealth of freely available information from people who are
likely to have already performed similar tasks as well as from the developers
of the software itself.
Faster turnaround and greater market flexibility - The infrastructure and documentation for open source software is easily available from the internet. There is no need to source it from suppliers. You can install only what you need and freely expand later in order to match any change in requirements. You are not tied to any sales packages which exist solely to benefit third parties. You can even trial exactly what you require, on test hardware, with no financial commitment or negotiation. Again, the documentation to do all of this is freely available.
Faster turnaround and greater market flexibility - The infrastructure and documentation for open source software is easily available from the internet. There is no need to source it from suppliers. You can install only what you need and freely expand later in order to match any change in requirements. You are not tied to any sales packages which exist solely to benefit third parties. You can even trial exactly what you require, on test hardware, with no financial commitment or negotiation. Again, the documentation to do all of this is freely available.
Some misconceptions about open source
technology dispelled
·
I can't use
open source with my existing technology
Many businesses on a Windows platform believe that they can only use open source software if they install Linux. This is untrue. Open source development platforms such as PHP and MySQL have had stable versions on contemporary versions of Windows for over fifteen years, almost as long as they have existed.
Many businesses on a Windows platform believe that they can only use open source software if they install Linux. This is untrue. Open source development platforms such as PHP and MySQL have had stable versions on contemporary versions of Windows for over fifteen years, almost as long as they have existed.
·
You can't
trust open source development as there is no certification available
This is not the case. Redhat, for example, provide a range of open source certification, for most levels of IT professionals. O'Reilly, the well-known publishers of IT manuals, also provide certification for open source professionals, among other organisations.
This is not the case. Redhat, for example, provide a range of open source certification, for most levels of IT professionals. O'Reilly, the well-known publishers of IT manuals, also provide certification for open source professionals, among other organisations.
·
No blue-chip
companies use open source software
While some large organisations are understandably discreet about what technology their systems are based on, there are many companies that base their IT strategy on open source software. These include Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, Google and Android, among others.
While some large organisations are understandably discreet about what technology their systems are based on, there are many companies that base their IT strategy on open source software. These include Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, Google and Android, among others.
·
Open source software is of a lower quality than its paid-for equivalent
Apart from the fact that it would be a false economy for the above large organisations to use low quality software, proprietary software is often sold on the perception of quality, rather than the reality. Because there is no profit motive in the distribution of open source software and their code is open to inspection by their peers and user base, developers usually work to a quality standard, rather than a production timeline.
Apart from the fact that it would be a false economy for the above large organisations to use low quality software, proprietary software is often sold on the perception of quality, rather than the reality. Because there is no profit motive in the distribution of open source software and their code is open to inspection by their peers and user base, developers usually work to a quality standard, rather than a production timeline.
·
Only proprietary software can meet my security needs
This is essentially a sub-phenomenon of the above. Producing robust and well-secured products is one of the most challenging aspects of creating high quality software and open source developers are often highly challenge-motivated. Even if, in some cases, their ambitions might exceed their ability, the quality of their work is peer reviewed by hundreds, if not thousands, of fellow programmers and potential users. This is opposed to proprietary software, where code is tested by a team that is limited by secrecy, budget and time constraints.
This is essentially a sub-phenomenon of the above. Producing robust and well-secured products is one of the most challenging aspects of creating high quality software and open source developers are often highly challenge-motivated. Even if, in some cases, their ambitions might exceed their ability, the quality of their work is peer reviewed by hundreds, if not thousands, of fellow programmers and potential users. This is opposed to proprietary software, where code is tested by a team that is limited by secrecy, budget and time constraints.
·
There is no
incentive for third-party companies to support open source
Again, this is not the case. While there is no profit motive in supplying open source software, as it is freely available, there is certainly value to be added in the development, installation and support of products built on open source technologies. This means that, while third-party companies cannot tie a customer to a particular set of products, they can nevertheless build a valid and profit-motivated business model around these services. Organisations implementing an open source based IT strategy need not worry that their setup will be 'orphaned' as their very need for support guarantees that there is a continuing profit motive for catering to them.
Again, this is not the case. While there is no profit motive in supplying open source software, as it is freely available, there is certainly value to be added in the development, installation and support of products built on open source technologies. This means that, while third-party companies cannot tie a customer to a particular set of products, they can nevertheless build a valid and profit-motivated business model around these services. Organisations implementing an open source based IT strategy need not worry that their setup will be 'orphaned' as their very need for support guarantees that there is a continuing profit motive for catering to them.
Links to research material
Reasons to use open source software in your organisation:
Open source training and certification
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