Freedom from vendor lock-in, greater flexibility and lower costs are few of the multiple factors that have made users choose Free and Open Source software (FOSS) over traditional licensed software. Not only has it become popular with the vendor community, but it has also managed to go mainstream with customer organizations of varied sizes and types. With CIOs being able to justify investments in software, facilitate growth by inputs from community driven innovation and obvious support from fast emerging markets such as mobile and cloud computing, Open Source software is here to stay.
Surveys conducted suggest that almost 80 percent use open source tools; half of these build and standardize on an open source development infrastructure stack, and almost two-thirds contribute to open source projects. However, analysts feel that the steady adoption of open source software, without the right internal controls and processes in place, is dangerous. They feel that adequate standards or policies related to Open Source software are scarce. As reliance on open source projects increase, there seems to be no visibility, control, management of their usage throughout the enterprise. To be precise, 49 percent of those surveyed mentioned that they do not have a licensing policy in place. Moreover, only 32 percent maintain detailed records of the components that are being used in production applications and their dependents.
However, it is good to know that enterprises have started taking Open Source seriously, so much so that Microsoft recently announced its wholly owned subsidiary dedicated to Open Source.
The Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) team at Suyati Technologies is proof that we have the ability to undertake projects that uses multiple technologies. Whether you need standard applications and products created using Microsoft Technologies or Open Source Software, our team delivers them on time and within budget. Python, Django, Ruby on Rails, PHP – the list goes on. We sincerely believe that business requirements should drive the use of technology, and not the other way around!