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In the area of information systems and data management the opportunity to acquire new systems within tight budgets or to make operational savings for established systems are limited. One major opportunity however seems to be on offer: to shift to the use of open source software and reap the direct benefits of lower software costs and further indirect benefits such as greater adherence to open standards, more choice of vendor and service supplier, and working to establish flexible incremental architectures. With many organizations that now use open source software such as Linux, it’s becoming increasingly clear that price is not the only advantage such software holds. Rather, open source software (OSS) holds numerous other compelling advantages for businesses, some of them even more valuable than the software’s low price:Customizability – Business users can take a piece of open source software and tweak it to suit their needs. Since the code is open, it’s simply a matter of modifying it to add the functionality they want.
Freedom – When businesses turn to open source software, they free themselves from the severe vendor lock-in that can afflict users of proprietary packages. With OSS, users are in control to make their own decisions and to do what they want with the software. Flexibility – Open source software is typically much less resource-intensive, meaning that one can run it well even on older hardware. It’s up to the user –not some vendor–to decide when it’s time to upgrade. Interoperability – Open source software is much better at adhering to open standards than proprietary software is. If an organization values interoperability with other businesses, computers and users, and don’t want to be limited by proprietary data formats, open source software is definitely the way to go. Support Options – For businesses that want extra assurance, there are paid support options on most open source packages. Providers of commercial support for open source software tend to be more responsive, too, since support is where their revenue is focused. The Open Source movement in India is still in its infant stages. However, OSS has a bright future, with Linux capturing more of the server market every day, and enterprises choosing to use the open source platforms. Compared to a few years back, open source now seems to be more free – free from uncertainty, free from doubts.
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A must attend forum for Technology & Business Decision makers of mid-to-large Indian & foreign Enterprises from following industry verticals:
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