Open-source solutions in organizations

Open-source software is becoming increasingly popular. Such solutions are used not only by medium and growing businesses, but also by large companies. For example, Netflix uses open-source for video content storage, data processing, and personalization of offers.

What are the advantages of implementing open-source systems compared to proprietary (custom-developed) software?

Comparison of Open-source Software and Proprietary Software.

Aspect	Proprietary software	Open source software
Source	Closed, not accessible to users	Open, available to users
Licensing	Limited use under license terms	Freedom to use, change, distribute source code
Development	Implemented by a commercial company or a separate development team	Collaborative development, active participation of the developer community
Support	Provided by commercial suppliers	Support from the developer community Public access to fixes and updates
Safety	Depends on developer and supplier	Greater transparency, faster fixes for vulnerabilities
Addiction	Dependence on the supplier and their long-term development	More independent use possibility of switching to another developer
Price	Often commercial, licensed	Often free or low cost, no licensing costs
Innovation	Limited source code availability and development participation	Greater availability of source code, opportunity to actively participate in the development of new features and improvements

Popular Open-source Systems:

Linux – used in server and embedded systems, as well as in cloud computing.
Apache HTTP Server – the most popular web server in the world, used for deploying web applications and hosting websites.
MySQL – a popular database management system. MySQL offers a scalable, reliable and fast open-source database. It is used for managing data in web applications, e-commerce, and corporate systems.
Kubernetes – a platform for orchestrating IT infrastructure, which manages and scales container applications and manages their resources.
TensorFlow – an open-source machine learning library used for developing and deploying machine learning models. TensorFlow provides tools and flexibility for creating models and training on large data sets.
Git – a distributed version control system for managing and tracking changes in development code.

Why is the implementation of open-source gaining popularity among both large companies and small and medium-sized businesses?

There are several factors that are driving the demand for open-source software:

Reduced financial costs, as there is no need to invest in software development.
Faster implementation. Such systems are ready for use faster than custom software.
Access to innovations. Implementing open-source allows using the experience and knowledge of other companies and specialists to optimize and improve performance without investment and the risk of unjustified investment in development.

Seems fast and profitable, but what are the potential risks?

This approach has a number of limitations that should be considered when deciding on the implementation of open-source software.

The functionality of open-source software may not fully meet the needs of users. Therefore, the solution will need to be refined or business processes adapted to the system.
There is no guarantee that open-source software will support data exchange with all user systems. Therefore, it will be necessary to develop integration with other systems or configure data exchange in other ways.
Open-source software developers do not usually create consulting, training, system adaptation and other support teams. There is a community of users and developers, but will it be able to provide stable assistance?

How can these risks be reduced?

Consider the capabilities, compatibility and integration. This will help identify potential difficulties and shortcomings of the software in advance and determine the course of action.
Explore the community and support: forums, social media groups, case studies on implementation, to find answers to questions and specialists with experience working with the system.
Analyze the need for training and retraining of personnel to work in the new system, in order to reduce user resistance and the number of problems in the first period of operation.
Implement solutions through pilot projects. Select a small project or group of users to test the solution and evaluate its performance with real data and users. This will help gain experience and understanding of how well the software meets the company’s needs.

Open-source software – this is an opportunity to optimize operations and implement innovations for many enterprises. However, not all available solutions are suitable for solving business problems. Therefore, it is important to analyze both the needs of the company and the capabilities of the solution.

To see more about how to use open-source, try this link.