The Open Source Dilemma

By Courtney Macavinta

By now CIOs in organizations of every size have probably faced the question: Should we "open up"? As in, using open source software within their IT organizations. There's no doubt about it: Open source is becoming a vital piece of enterprise IT infrastructures. According to a 2005 Forrester Research Inc. survey of 137 large companies, 56% of respondents are currently using open source software, and 19% said they planned to use these technologies by this year.

Enterprise adoption of open source is growing for numerous reasons. By its nature, open source is inexpensive to use. The code is free and companies don't have to pay hefty licensing fees. Support is also less costly: generally, open source code is developed, updated, and supported by an active community of developers who work together to create standards-based code. Open source code can also be modified or improved for commercial use. At the same time, open source frees IT organizations from being tied to just one vendor for their software or hardware -- and the accompanying support costs.

"With open source I can have more choice," says Michael Goulde, senior analysts with Forrester Research, who has written several reports on enterprise use of open source.

"Open source is flexible -- it gives IT the ability to build solutions more quickly if there is a change in business strategy, and applications are easier to modify quickly to respond to those changes," he adds. "There are some other appealing aspects, such as collaboration and innovation through shared efforts across company boundaries and within company boundaries."

But for CIOs, the proliferation of open source comes with challenges. There may be situations in which CIOs are seduced into using what seems like free software, only to discover they have to ante up to make it work for them down the road. There are also concerns about the long-term technical support and viability of community-developed open source code. Sometimes developers might even use open source without management's approval.

Still, the more pressing question many CIOs face is: Does open source meet the needs of the business? After all, these days IT decisions must be closely tied to initiatives to grow the business, garner considerable ROI, and positively bolster the bottom line.

"Their biggest concern is going to be, 'How is this going to align with the business objectives of my company?'" Goulde says. "Open source is just another piece of IT -- if it helps you align better, safer, and cheaper, CIOs will be for it."

When it comes to how CIOs can evaluate, implement, and govern open source, Goulde recommends the following:

• Explore the landscape  Open source offerings now go way beyond just Linux. In addition to development communities, there are non-profit organizations, such as the Apache Software Foundation, that actually provide the infrastructure for open source projects. Vendors also come together to work on open source development through bodies like the Open Source Development Labs. Goulde suggests that CIOs read the latest Web sites and journals about open source to stay on top of trends and opportunities. As always, he says, before considering using open source code, CIOs need to evaluate if it makes sense for their business by asking questions like: "How can I use this to build my own products?"
• Define requirements  Many organizations are concerned about whether they can get solid support for open source code. It's important for CIOs to help define the requirements for open source "procurement" including support needs. One route: These days, a growing number of commercial software and hardware vendors actually offer support for "blended" IT environments that use their products side-by-side with open source.
• Start with Web projects  Open source code for Web development is likely the easiest foray into integrating open source into an organization's IT architecture, Goulde says. So CIOs might have their developers explore this first. "It's a good way to get familiar with how open source works, how you get support, how you get new patches and install them -- you don't have to get as technically deep," he says.
• Stay flexible  Open source might seem like a rough aspect of IT that needs to be carefully monitored. But this approach can diminish the value of the flexibility that comes with open source. "If you try to control every detail, you'll have something between chaos and complete paralysis -- it completely stifles use of open source," Goulde says. He suggests that CIOs help establish some governance around legal, licensing, and security issues. "Reviews should be consistent with reviews you'd do with any software," he says. One best practice is to create an open source portal for developers and internal users in which the latest version of open source code is posted after it's been tested for stability. Goulde says this system can also help CIOs track where open source is being used throughout their organization.

Not matter what business needs spurs the use of open source, it will likely become a part of every organization's IT infrastructure -- if it isn't already. Goulde puts it this way: "CIOs see opportunities for creating a more standardized, simplified IT environment."

Courtney Macavinta is a Silicon Valley-based business and technology writer. Her articles have appeared in CNET News, Business 2.0, Red Herring, Wired News, and The Washington Post.