Why Consider Free Open Source Software?
In a Microsoft-dominated IT environment in the world,
considering Free Open Source Software will often cause arguments over costs,
long term support, security and reliability and the Freedom.
Why Consider Free Open Source Software?
FOSS is in the business since 80's and many FOSS
evangelists will tell you that using open source software is about freedom.
Freedom from proprietary technologies, Freedom to study, draconian licensing
schemes, arbitrary costs and freedom to truly own your data and infrastructure,
Freedom to share the Software and so on. But for most IT professionals who run
the industry, that is not enough. Reliability, security and support are
paramount and those are the areas that really matters.
Reduced Up-Front Costs
Just imagine not having to deal with very long - not
understanding at all – Enterprise Technical Agreements, seat quotas or
commercial license costs. If you base your project on FOSS, you are free from
many of the usual cost-limitations when scaling-out your architecture.
Of course, "reduced" does not mean
"free". While you may occasionally have to pay for subscription-based
access or software support, you will be free to use the software, share the
software, install one copy on many modes for no additional cost, forever.
Long-Term Savings
Your infrastructure will no longer be tied to a hectic
continuous cost cycle of software upgrades, various license renewals or
mandatory support agreements. With a properly trained staff – of course u need
a good staff - you can redirect corporate
expenses as an investment in your personnel. This
creates a feedback-loop where, as your employee-base becomes more capable and
self-sufficient, you can realized further cost savings as you pursue further
development and maintenance of internally-supported systems.
Mitigating The Risks of Free Open Source Software
Lets discuss the double-edged sword of Free & Open
Source Software implementation and maintenance.
Security Risks
If a community-supported platform falls out of favor and
development dries up, you run the risk of hosting software for which security
updates & patches are no longer made. So how do you protect your company?
Fair question for any Enterprise level system administrator.
While this question could very likely warrant a whole
series of articles, the following steps should be taken at a minimum.
1. Research Technology Trends
Browse major tech publications
and Blog posts to gauge the relative popularity of the software you are
vetting. Research potential software vendors and ask the following questions:
a. Is the software written in a
popular and well-supported programming language?
If the answer is not in your
favor, it it better to stay with proprietary software.
b. Has a major version -
general release not beta - of this software been in use for at least one year?
You can easily get the reviews
about the software. There are more cons than pros, its better to stay with
proprietary software.
c. Can you name at least three
Fortune 500 companies that publicly support it's use?
If industry leaders support
this, you can follow the tide.
d. Do you have and / or do you
plan to staff employees who can support the code-base and platform on which
this software will run?
2. Choose a commercial vendor of FOSS software
It may seem antithetical to choose
a commercial vendor for FOSS, but there are many commercial projects out there
based on Open Source software. The value is not in that first download, but in
continuous software support.
3. Monitor your software and infrastructure
You cannot let your guard down,
even when a large network of developers or a commercial vendor are continuously
security-testing your chosen software.
Notice something
familiar? The 3 steps above apply to both FOSS and commercial /
closed-source software. The benefit choosing the open-source route is that you
gain code transparency and broad platform oversight.
You may be saying:
Question: "Why should I
have to keep paying for continuous support of free software? I already bought
it!"
Answer:
The Internet
The price we pay for being constantly connected to the
world we live in is always having to look over our shoulders. We have to assume
that our corporate networks and all the infrastructure hosted within is exposed
to every lone-wolf and government-sponsored hacker around the world. Software
can no longer be static, having to evolve to accommodate continuously changing
risks, therefore it makes sense for vendors to transition to a support-based
business model.
Increased Up-Front Costs?
How can one both save money and spend more money when choosing
theoretically free software? The answer comes down to support.
Long-term support, reliability and security are usually
fairly easy to qualify. They are necessary adjuncts of any successful IT
software deployment. Budgets will expand to accommodate these needs,
especially when the propriety, commercial software exists to satisfy them. Open
Source deployments invariably will require
full-time, trained, on-site personnel to develop and maintain. This fact alone
will scare most IT shops away, especially since, in most cases, Microsoft and
compatible software dominates the ecosystem.
Personnel Costs
At first, costs may be artificially inflated by initial
investment in skilled personnel. Whether you hire new employees or pay for
additional training, there is a learning curve to be scaled. Your employees
will become more valuable - may dictate higher salaries - as the requirements
for an internal knowledge base grow.
It will take time, maybe a year or more, but with every
FOSS implementation your company's operations teams will become more
technologically capable and self-sufficient. You will be able to pursue more
ambitious projects, with fewer budget constraints and increased peace of mind
knowing that your company's most critical resources are free from the whims of
proprietary, closed-source vendors.
Reliability and Support
This cannot be reduced to a single line-item. It works
because you invest in your employees and commit to total ownership of your
open-source software ecosystem. All the risk mitigation discussed so far is
what makes effective support and long-term reliability possible.
For many companies, though, FOSS may not be an option. The
value of fast start-up and the straightforward nature of commercial software
and paid licensing & support can outweigh long-term savings. The question
you need to ask yourself is:
"How much responsibility am I willing to take on in
the name of cost savings and software freedom?"
You won't know until you at least start to examine the
pros & cons mentioned here. Although this is only the tip of the iceberg -
having so far avoided the existential comparison and contrast of open vs
close-source software - you are now equipped with solid talking-points for your
next round-table.
Did you know that, NIBM offers the most competitive Advance
Certificate in Linux System Administration course in the town. Click here for more information.
Sources
www.federalreserve.gov
Comments
Post a Comment