Open Source Software

Despite an improving economic outlook, money to replace and/or update enterprise apps may still be hard to come by for IT organizations.

Date: March 29, 2010

Category: Technology Initiatives

Despite an improving economic outlook, money to replace and/or update enterprise apps may still be hard to come by for IT organizations.

The attractiveness of free open source software (OSS) may be hard to resist.

Although OSS, by definition, is free to download and use, it likely needs customization to fit a particular enterprise. Here are some the many questions IT management should ask when considering OSS.

 

  • How well has the product been adopted? What is its reputation within the user community?
  • Is it compatible with business requirements? How does it integrate with other software?
  • Will warranty or commercial support be needed? Is support available from high-quality firms and/or the contractor community?
  • Is it secure/stable enough for mission-critical activities? Is it able to support all users for the foreseeable future?

 

© 2010 by TechServe Alliance (formerly NACCB). All rights reserved. www.techservealliance.org

Reproduction and redistribution rights granted to TechServe Alliance members in good standing for dissemination.