Open source brings big benefits

Open source is producing big gains in efficiency, cost savings and quality, and changing the way software is developed, according to a report by Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC).

CSC acknowledged that open source will not displace proprietary software overnight but suggested that it now presents a genuine option for organisations.

The corporation's report, Open Source: Open for Business, pointed out that open source is more than Linux, describing it as "a movement that is technical, political and sociological", and said collaborative development is an incubator for innovative ideas.

"Rather than work within the confines of the organisation, developers should use readily available open source tools and components to accelerate the development process, and tap the open source community for support and inspiration," said CSC.

"Deployments everywhere from Google to Nasa show that its promise is real."

Without quantifying savings, the report is also bullish on total cost of ownership (TCO) savings from using open source. No licence fees means reducing "having to stringently monitor software deployment", it said.

The report claimed that unplanned system downtime can account for as much as 50 per cent of TCO but is often excluded from the analysis because such costs are difficult to quantify.

"The modularity of Linux can allow a very lean build to be deployed, which in turn can enable more stability and thus higher availability than a Windows environment," it said.

The report also claimed that supply and demand changes mean that Linux professionals now cost no more than Windows professionals.

CSC said companies should not only look for "sweet spots" in their business with high potential returns from using open source software, but should develop legal expertise internally about open source licensing.

And it advised that companies should update human resource policies on intellectual property to reflect open source.

The report also recommended that developers and system administrators should be encouraged to get involved with open source projects that relate to their jobs, while companies should create a "safe list" of open source to use or consider.