Open-source in the enterprise

Once relegated to virtual secrecy, open-source is now an established player in the enterprise, and CIOs and IT managers must understand its role. It's not just software--open-source constitutes a wholly different development approach. Benefits include extensibility, less restrictive licensing, open standards and community support. Challenges include governance, delivery mechanisms for software updates/new releases, management of intellectual property and indemnification. But more than anything else, adopting an open source approach means finding a way to manage interdependencies. To succeed, understand the licensing implications, monitor community statistics and health, evaluate the community infrastructure, evaluate vendor offerings, understand Software Licensing Agreements (SLA), manage open-source use by building a repository and enforcing control, and understand and leverage the open-source process model.

To learn more about adopting an open-source approach in the enterprise:
- read the blog at Emerging Technologies for the Enterprise

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