What is Open Source?
The Open Source technology originated at the “bottom of the stack” with the Linux operating system, which has become one of the most popular Operating systems now. In late 1990’s the term Open Source was coined and the evolution of Apache, Mozilla, Perl took place, while birth of “Commercial Open Source” was seen in early 2000. The adoption started moving up the technology stack in 2005 with the breakout of Open Source technologies such as MySQL, Liferay, Drupal, Wordpress, Alfresco, SugarCRM. Post 2008, Open Source adoption by Enterprises was seen widely and in 2012 Open Source became an integral part of every Enterprise IT strategy.
Open Source & CIGNEX
Unless you firmly believe in the potential of FOSS - Free and Open Source software, you will think twice about adopting Open Source as a viable business model. So what motivated CIGNEX to go open? OSS (Open Source Software) is the force behind some of the trendiest technologies in the enterprise segment today. CIGNEX firmly believed back in 2000 that Open Source was the future because benefits offered by Open Source were unparalleled, such as access to source code leading to no vendor dependency, quick Proof of Concept, faster deployment, community support, lower TCO and better adaptability to business changes integration with proprietary technology.
According to Open Source Survey by Black Duck Software & North Bridge 2015, 78% of companies run part or all of its operations on OSS and 66 percent companies create software for customers built on Open Source. It shows that Open Source is here to stay and is now de-facto the software architecture for many emerging and establishes enterprises.
Since our inception in 2000, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, CIGNEX has been a big proponent of Open Source and has helped many Enterprise customers “Making Open Source Work”. With client-focused approach CIGNEX has delivered over 500+ Open Source enterprise solutions that help clients address business goals, increase business velocity, reduce TCO and gain competitive advantage. Our clients include 50 of Fortune 1000 and 100+ companies with over billion dollar in revenues ranging from private entities to government agencies and nimble start-ups. The company provides solutions across systems of engagement and insights such as Portals, Content & Collaboration (PCC), Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Big Data Analytics (BDA) and e-Commerce, and customizable platforms such as Digital Employee Engagement Platform (DEEP), Reputation Management Platform (RMP), Franchise Management Platform (FMP) built using Open Source technology stack.
Biggest Drivers for Commercial OSS Adoption
OSS is the force behind some of the most popular enterprise software technologies in the enterprise segment today, that include Social, Mobility, Analytics and Cloud (SMAC) and the Internet of Things (IoT). Commercially backed open-source programmes also provide a range of other benefits to businesses when compared to wholly proprietary solutions. This includes greater quality, fewer bugs, increased flexibility as well as customization and reduced costs. Let’s discuss the top 6 reasons for OSS adoption.
1. Quality –Open Source advocates have long advocated that having an unbiased, spirited and innovation-driven Open Source community at the helm of R&D is a superior way to write better code. Flaws can be detected early and reliability tests yield fewer defects.
2. Freedom from vendor lock-in – The “F” in FOSS stands for Freedom aiming to offer enterprises greater control and mobility. CIGNEX helped a leading media publishing house to migrate its 70+ website to Liferay Portal, reducing cost and time to roll-out new web brands through reusable structure and shared content. Mobile sites were also launched.
3. Ease in deployment - Open Source is fast and easy to deploy, delivering superior business agility enabling enterprises to react quickly to changing business demands.
4. Access to code – Since enterprises have access to code, they can easily integrate Open Source components into custom-developed applications using the “Build once, Deploy many” principle.
5. Security – The use of OSS software in enterprise IT environment can greatly mitigate security risks as the Open Source community helps keep an eye on new vulnerabilities and gain early visibility into potential issues. CIGNEX built a Liferay and Magento integrated ecommerce supplier portal with SAP core supporting 337,500 users and 13,500 concurrent users for a global manufacturer of premium liquid and powder coatings across 3 continents (NA, LA, Europe); enhanced product catalog and improved order management system.
6. Customizability - With OSS, enterprise users and their application vendors can easily concentrate on a specific code of their solution software which can be further customized to match unique requirements. In support to the statement, a case study where CIGNEX built a Product Release Management Portal for a leading US based networking company which supported 250,000 total users and 400 concurrent users, LDAP secured role-based access, increased accessibility and product views with in-house and back-end applications.
Predicted Trends on Future of Open Source
It is no surprise that reducing operational IT expenditures, while simultaneously increasing the level of security and software capabilities, is a top priority for most enterprises. Open Source solutions can be modified and adapted as per the needs of the companies, something which is not possible in the proprietary software.
As per Gartner, by 2016, Open Source Software (OSS) will be included in mission-critical software portfolios within 99% of Global 2000 enterprises, up from 75% in 2010. Fueled by growing demand from government, education, healthcare, media, automotive, and financial services, OSS solutions are increasingly being chosen to lower costs, solve challenging use cases, innovate and attract talent. This would in turn fulfill long-term enterprise objectives of adopting OSS solutions in their Systems of Engagement aiming to inform and engage employees, customers, partners etc. and Systems of Insight which enable more accurate understanding of customer’s wants & needs expressed across various digital platforms.
The change in the software industry has become an irresistible force. Understanding the paradigm shift in the software landscape and leveraging it to obtain software at a much lower costs is the first step. If you want to build a sustainable competitive advantage you need to ask yourself – How ‘open’ is your enterprise? What is your ‘open quotient?’ Are you willing to accept Open Source based solutions for your organizations?
Wanna know more?
Read about Top 10 Reasons for Open Source Adoption – http://www.slideshare.net/cignexglobal/top-10-reasons-for-enterprise-to-adopt-open-source
