Open source software is an exciting area of development in the government sector. There have been a number of key initiatives to promote open source technologies in Government. In Europe, the European Union has a policy  “to promote the use of open source software in the public sector and e-Government best practice through exchange of experiences across the Union”. In the UK the Government has agreed to:

• consider Open source solutions alongside proprietary ones in IT procurements. Contracts will be awarded on a value for money basis
• only use products for interoperability that support open standards and specifications in all future IT developments
• seek to avoid lock-in to proprietary IT products and services.

The benefits of open source software in Government include:

1. Cost Savings - Licensing Fees

The most obvious reason for replacing proprietary software with Open Source applications is the potential for eliminating expensive licensing arrangements.

2. Solutions vs Software

Organisations using Open Source solutions own the features and functionality of the software itself. This is the difference between buying a direct solution and a ready-made piece of software. Users are not dependent on outside forces to dictate the form, fit, and functionality of the application. With Open Source customisation, the application received is precisely what the customer wants: nothing more and  nothing less.

3. Speed to Deployment

Because the core elements of Open Source solutions are developed by a worldwide community of programmers and engineers working together, market deployment of these solutions is often quicker than proprietary business models.

4. Cost Savings - IT Investments

Because Open Source solutions are scalable and interoperable, they can make use of existing IT infrastructures. This flexibility allows for the deployment of solutions that are designed to work with multiple or existing systems, and which will preclude the necessity for costly upgrades in the future. The Open University has over 300,000 students registered on its open source Moodle platform.

5. Open Source Standards & Security

Another significant benefit of Open  Source that is rarely addressed is standardisation. Over 50% of FE colleges in the UK use Moodle for example.  In addition, Open Source solutions are secure. Prominent members of the financial industry, such as Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse First Boston, and NATO use Linux open source software servers for transactions.

Kineo Open Source can help you evaluate open source opportunities, assess software solutions, customise software, host and support open source solutions.

Sounds right for your organisation? Contact us to find out more.