Open Source, Opens Up the Enterprise

October 17, 2010

I am seeing open source everywhere. At the gym in Louisville, Kentucky, a second tier wrestler with tattoos sported a T shirt that said, “Hadoop” and featured an elephant on the back. Go figure.

“Open Source Investment to Increase – Survey” provides more fuel for the community’s bonfire under proprietary software. The survey was cranked out by a blue chip consulting outfit (Accenture), so you know I know that those folks never make mistakes. Just like Arthur Andersen maybe?

Here is a passage I noted:

Exactly half of the respondents are fully committed to OSS in their business while just more than a quarter (28pc) said they are experimenting with it and keeping an open mind to using it. Some 65pc of those polled said they have a fully documented strategic approach for using OSS in their business, while another third (32pc) are developing a strategic plan. Of those organizations using open source, a massive 88pc said they will increase their investment in the software this year compared to 2009. The overall volume of open source software development is forecast to rise over the next three years to 27pc, up from 20pc in 2009.

Is it time for commercial software vendors to fill out applications at Wal-Mart and Costco? Not right away. If the data are overstating the update by a third, the implications of the study are tough to miss. Open source is free, and it is open. Quite a few outfits are taking a close look at open source.

I know that if I had a client trying to decide between Microsoft SharePoint and Alfresco, for example, I would probably point the outfit toward Alfresco. After all, some of the lessons of Documentum have influenced thinking at Alfresco I have heard.

Blue chip consultants can make a lot of money analyzing the pros and cons of options. This study may be the first shot in a broader push by a blue chip firm to surf the open source wave.

Stephen E Arnold, October 17, 2010

Freebie

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Business strategy, Enterprise, News, Overflight, Technology, Text processing

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One Response to “Open Source, Opens Up the Enterprise”

» Fresh Docs Blog Home – Zia Consulting, Inc on April 26th, 2011 3:42 pm

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.