Open source software development is often perceived by corporate America as a risky business proposition. The thought of numerous independent, geographically dispersed developers collaborating on a software project, in some vague way, seems to make many members of the Fortune 1000 uncomfortable. However, before dismissing open source out-of-hand, let's take a few moments to consider the risks that are inherent in a more traditional software development environment.
Open source software development is often perceived by corporate America as a risky business proposition. The thought of numerous independent, geographically dispersed developers collaborating on a software project, in some vague way, seems to make many members of the Fortune 1000 uncomfortable. However, before dismissing open source out-of-hand, let’s take a few moments to consider the risks that are inherent in a more traditional software development environment.
Large corporations often base their technological infrastructure on a single proprietary solution without realizing the tremendous risk that this dependency represents. For the sake of argument, let’s say that you’re running a billion-dollar corporation and you’re interested in extending your IT infrastructure to include a TCP/IP- based wireless/mobile strategy. Your options for implementing such a strategy are limited; many of the vendors that could supply your needs may have a life span of only a few years. Should they cease to exist, who will stand behind the work that the vendors had done? This kind of solution actually represents a single point of potential failure for any business.
On the other hand, implementing the same solution using open source software completely eliminates this “single point of failure.” The software itself is not the product of a single company and should any service provider go out of business, many others with equal expertise could maintain your infrastructure.
Actually, many proprietary software solution providers will not simply cease to exist, but given that the software development landscape is in a constant state of flux, many players of today will be absorbed or even unseated by the players of tomorrow. Many of yesterday’s software vendors did not go out of business; they simply no longer exist as independent entities. What assurances do you have that your vendor’s products will still be supported and maintained should your vendor happen to be absorbed by a larger entity?
An excellent real-world example of this lies in the fate of many of the early application server vendors. Many of them were absorbed by larger corporations, only to be intentionally dismantled or inadvertently destroyed through the poor management of the acquirer. Infrastructures built on these technologies therefore became ineffective. The bottom line is that there are no guarantees that the technology you purchase and deploy today will survive, be supported by a new entity, or be compatible with the technology you’ll wish to deploy tomorrow.
While customers frequently believe that a product developed and supported by a billion-dollar, publicly traded software company is relatively risk free, the actual risks are considerably higher. Think about the fate of the Netscape corporation for a minute, and I think you’ll get my drift.
Deploying open source software solutions is one of the most effective measures a corporation can employ to mitigate some of these risks. Open source does not need to replace a corporation’s existing infrastructure and systems; however, by allowing it to permeate future installations, it is possible to reduce risk while increasing control and flexibility.
The benefits of integrating open source solutions in an enterprise are numerous. Aside from those we have already mentioned, the fact that open source solutions are not owned by a single entity allows the focus to remain on choosing the best solution — rather than a solution based solely on the emotional swings of Wall Street. Open source solutions also implement open standards, insuring that your systems will always be able to communicate with any other open system. Most importantly, open source allows the end user to dictate how a solution should be implemented, guaranteeing that the end result satisfies the user’s specific needs. If the Fortune 1000 begin implementing more open source solutions, they will find that they have a much greater degree of control over how their solutions are created. This would lead to a significantly reduced risk of product dissatisfaction.
Probably the best example of what the open source development methodology can accomplish is the Linux operating system itself. Linux incorporates only the best solutions; the best pieces of the code are constantly being built and innovated, while the weaker links are quickly found and replaced. The development of Linux has scaled with the development of the Internet. As more and more developers use the Internet as a collaborative tool, development cycles shrink and software is produced in a faster and more robust fashion.
The kinds of advantages that we’re enumerating here represent very compelling arguments for basing corporate infrastructure development on an open source foundation. In fact, as more and more emerging technologies make their way into the enterprise, the relative risk assumed when using open source solutions to deploy these technologies is even lower, since many of the proprietary vendors themselves tend to be very young and unproven.
By offering a lower risk proposition, open source will play a major role in speeding the adoption of these emerging technologies. Open source needs the Fortune 1000, and the Fortune 1000 needs open source. The biggest opportunity for both parties lies in the ability of these companies to influence and participate in the development of solutions they will leverage for their own future infrastructures.
And if all that isn’t enough, consider this — corporations that dismiss open source as simply being the work of “hackers” do so at their own peril. The open source hackers of today are no different than those that created the Internet and many of the other technologies we have all come to depend on.
Indeed, just as the open source development method-ology created the Internet and changed everything about the way we work, play, and communicate, it will re-shape information technology itself over the next several years. Many solutions providers already consider the open source community to be a viable provider of the key components that they require to implement total solutions. The myths surrounding open source solutions, which scare the Fortune 1000 corporations, are being dispelled. Many corporations now realize that there are as many (if not more) risks inherent in relying on proprietary vendors as there are in embracing the full potential of open source. Can we really afford old-fashioned thinking?
Laurent Meynier is the CEO of open source Fortune 1000 advisory firm Oliance. He can be reached at meynier@ oliance.com.
