Open source software (Sponsored Article for LCA Limited)

Open source software can be obtained by businesses for little or no cost. Developed and supported globally by IT professionals it provides an alternative to more traditional forms of proprietary software. Open source software is available for most business needs, including content management systems, databases, office tools, operating systems, internet related applications and IT security.

Unlike proprietary software, open source gives you access to the source code, providing you with the opportunity to develop the software for your own business requirements. Whilst most open source solutions lack the customer support and legal protection provided by proprietary software, open source can provide businesses with powerful, secure, well supported and cost effective solutions.

Many business owners choose to use open source software because it has little or no up-front cost. This is obviously a huge benefit, especially to new businesses, but you need to consider budgeting for support, training, and in the case of more complex applications, consultancy.

You should take time to assess the total cost of ownership for any software you intend to deploy. Will it require additional hardware, or will it need specialised technical staff? As with proprietary applications the vast proportion of the total cost of any open source software will be the cost of operations and of maintenance.

One key advantage of open source over the proprietary alternatives is that it simplifies your licence management issues. There’s no need to ensure that all your servers and desktops have the right type or number of licences – you just need to download the software once and install it as many times and places as you want or need.

It’s important to comply with the license restrictions, as these have the same legal basis as proprietary software licences. It’s also important to read licences carefully, as there are many different open source licences, with as many different requirements.

Support for open source applications can come from three different routes. In many cases a self-service approach using online community resources and search engines works well. More complex problems can be solved by talking directly with the developers, and possibly paying for consultancy or taking out a support contract. Alternatively you will find a number of service providers who have certified key open source applications, and who offer a range of different support services.

Support services are starting to become available for more widely used open source software. There is also often an online community of people who use the software and share tips and hints, and these community resources are an invaluable resource. If something does go wrong with a less popular application, finding an IT specialist with experience of using the software can be difficult and also costly. You’ll also find well known IT providers like Microsoft, Oracle, IBM and HP offering open source support, as well as providing tools for integrating open source with their own proprietary solutions.

Many of the more popular open source business models revolve around charging for support and training. Some developers allow users to obtain the software for free, but then charge for support. You can purchase package solutions from some software companies that provide software, along with a year’s support, while other open source software providers will not offer any support at all.

You will also need to consider what level of training is needed for employees on how to use the software, who will carry out this training and what they charge. It’s often worth investing in a ‘train the trainer’ approach with open source tools, building your own internal training skills to keep total costs to a minimum. Some businesses develop their own in-house support and training for open source software because this can be less costly in the long term.

Whatever applications your business needs – whether it is a word processing solution, accounting software, customer relationship management software or website applications – you’ll find it easy to find an open source version. Numerous sites like SourceForge act as central repositories for open source applications, and are good places to look for new software.

It is important to remember that the quality of what is available may vary. It’s a good idea to look for software with a lot of users, as there’ll be a large community who can provide help and support. Popular software also makes it likely that there will be commercial support and training services.

Some popular open source software options include:

Office software

* Abiword – word processing tool
* Alfresco – enterprise content management system
* Joomla – enterprise content management system
* Open Office.org – business productivity suite
* Drupal – content management
* SugarCRM – customer relationship management
* MySQL – database

Operating systems

* GNU/Linux (various versions or distributions include Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, Ubuntu and Red Hat) – operating system
* OpenSolaris – operating system
* FreeBSD – operating system
* Android – mobile phone platform

Internet-related applications

* Mozilla Firefox – web browser
* Mozilla Thunderbird – email client
* Pidgin – instant messaging
* Zimbra – email and collaboration server
* Apache – web server
* Zope – web application server
* PHP – web application platform
* WordPress – blog hosting platform
* MediaWiki – information sharing platform

IT security

* Smoothwall – firewall and security tools
* Wireshark (aka Ethereal) – security application
* KeePass – password management
* Clam AV – antivirus software

Images/multi-media

* GIMP – image processing/graphics editing
* VLC – multimedia file playback
* Ogg – open video and audio codecs

Development tools

* Ruby on Rails – rapid web application development
* Eclipse – integrated development environment

Before downloading and installing open source software you should carry out the same due diligence as you would for proprietary applications. Check on the internet for reviews to get an idea of what other people think about the software and any issues they have had with it, and also read through any online support forums to understand any possible issues. You also need to ensure the software is licensed for business use.

Before deciding to start using any open source software it is a good idea to do some research to see what other people think of it. There are several things you can do:

* Check whether the software has its own website where you can learn more about its uses.
* Learn about the team behind the application, and their plans for its future.
* Look for online reviews and join any community forums for users to see what other people think of the software.
* Contact other businesses through the community support group (if there is one) to ask about their experiences of using the software.
* Find out whether there is an IT support company with specialist knowledge of the software. See whether they will do some consultancy work with your business to assess whether the software will suit your needs.
* Find advice on the Free Software Foundation website .
* Understand the licence in use.

Choosing an IT consultant

As open source software becomes more popular there are more IT consultants with expertise around some of the packages available. Some newer or less popular software may have less help and support available. Because of this some businesses decide to develop their own in-house expertise.

If you are going to appoint an IT consultant – for implementation help and advice, training or ongoing support – you should look for someone with experience of the specific software package if possible.

Getting a recommendation from someone else is a good way to find an IT consultant. You could contact other businesses through the software’s community support group (if there is one) to ask whether any can recommend a consultant.

Before appointing a consultant there are several questions you should ask. These include:

* Have they worked with businesses similar to yours in the past? You could also ask to see references or to be put in contact with one of its customers.
* How long have they been working with the particular piece of open source software? Who is the member of staff that will be your key contact and how experienced are they?
* What do they charge and when and how will the help be available? Is there a 24-hour helpline, for example? How quickly can they help if there is a problem?
* Do they offer training for your staff?
* Have other businesses had any major problems with implementing the software and will the software work with your existing systems?

Licensing and legal issues

Open source licences can be a source of some confusion. In practice open source licences give you access to the source code of an application, along with the ability to make changes. In general you will find that most licences allow you to use software for most common business uses. It’s a good idea to read the terms of any software licence before you use the software to understand its terms and conditions. Most licences are written in plain English, and are very straightforward. It’s important to note that you will get little or no warranty.

Open source licences take advantage of the ability of a licence to give rights above and beyond those enshrined in copyright law. This includes the ability to edit, modify and share the underlying source code – letting you tailor the software to your business needs.

There are a number of legal issues to be aware of when using open source software. It’s important to ensure that you remain compliant with the licence associated with the software you’re using – especially if you’re making your own changes to the software.

The Free Software Foundation, an organisation that protects the rights of free software users and developers, can investigate businesses that breach licence terms. This organisation monitors open source implementations to look for licence breaches, and try to ensure businesses comply with open source and free software licences.

There is always a risk that the open source software may not have been as rigorously tested as other software on the market. However, it can also be argued that because the code has usually been seen and modified by developers worldwide, it could in fact have fewer flaws than other software on the market. This can act as a balance to the extremely limited warranties offered with open source applications, which leave you with little recourse in the event of a significant failure or outage.

Information for IT professionals

One of the key benefits of open source software is that a user has access to the source code. As a result open source software provides flexible business solutions, allowing you to customise and extend applications to meet your needs. Developers can respond to business requirements and innovate quickly, drawing on a mix of in-house resources, consultants, service providers and the open source community. However, when changing or adding to open source code it is important to look at the license to see what your legal obligations are.

Legal requirements for open source development

Open source licenses include the ability to edit, modify and share the underlying source code – letting you tailor the software to your business needs. But there are a variety of open source licenses, and they each differ in their legal requirements.

Three of the most common licenses are the GNU General Public License (GPL), the Lesser GPL License (LGPL) and the Berkeley Standard Distribution License (BSD).

The GPL requires any changes you make to the source code to be made available to other users of the software. The LGPL lets you mix elements of open source software with new proprietary applications, without making the whole application publicly available. The BSD lets you do whatever you want with the source code, without the requirement to share it with the rest of the world.

If you’re planning on building open source tools into software and selling it, it’s worth looking for software that comes with dual licences – an open source version and a paid-for version that lets you keep any changes you make. The commercial license releases businesses from the requirement to make changes to the software open source.

Intellectual property

If a licence requires any modifications be made available to the wider community, make sure you don’t include passwords and specific business intellectual property, which might increase risks to your business. While most data protection and other business regulations don’t apply to source code, it’s important that you do apply appropriate governance to any software release procedure.

Choose and manage your IT supplier

Make the right IT choices

Get the most from IT in your business

Protecting intellectual property

Comply with data protection legislation

Related web sites you might find useful

Open source definition on the Open Source Initiative website
http://www.opensource.org/docs/osd

Open source software for Microsoft Windows on the Open Source Windows website
http://www.opensourcewindows.org

Approved open source licences on the Open Source Initiative website
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/alphabetical

Open source strategy information on the Microsoft website
http://www.microsoft.com/opensource/faq.mspx#

Open source software downloads on the Microsoft website
http://www.microsoft.com/opensource/developer.mspx

Open source help and advice on the Free Software Foundation website
http://www.fsf.org/about

Common open source licences information on the Open Source Initiative’s website
http://www.opensource.org/licenses

Open source help and advice on the Free Software Foundation website
http://www.fsf.org/licensing/compliance

LCA Limited (Redhat Partner and Open Source Solution provider)
http://www.lca-ltd.com