10 Reasons Why Businesses Choose Open Source

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Post pandemic, more and more enterprises are turning to open source software as a way to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and gain a competitive edge.

COVID-19 forced organizations to learn how to work remotely and meet customers’ immediate needs, while simultaneously becoming agile and adapting to an uncertain future. This is a method of working that open source communities have been using for the last two and half decades. Their solutions and innovations are now the blueprints for other companies.

According to Red Hat’s 2022 State of Enterprise Open Source Report, 82% of C-suite IT leaders globally are now more likely to choose a vendor who contributes to the open source community. 

So what are the top reasons why businesses are choosing open source? We explore the reasons below.

Also see: Best Open Source Network Monitoring Tools 

1) Security

In today’s business environment, data security is more important than ever. With the rising cost of data breaches and the increasing sophistication of cyber attacks, businesses can no longer afford to take risks with their data.

Open source software is developed and maintained by a community of developers, which makes it more secure than proprietary software, which is usually developed by a smaller team. 

In addition, open source software is rigorously tested by its users, which helps to identify and fix security vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Vendors can also patch vulnerabilities for enterprise open source applications much faster.

2) Flexibility and Agility

Speed and agility are essential in enterprise IT. The ability to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and customer needs can mean the difference between success and failure. For many businesses, open source development provides the perfect solution in this regard. 

With open source, businesses can customize their software to fit their unique needs. They’re not tied down to a single vendor or platform, and they can easily scale their infrastructure as their business grows. They can also add or remove features as needed, without having to rely on the software vendor to make changes. This allows businesses to be much more agile in their operations, and to respond quickly to changes in the market or their industry.

3) Freedom

One of the most important reasons to choose open source is freedom. The freedom to use, study, modify and redistribute the software.

With open source software, businesses are not locked into a single vendor. They can choose the best solution for their needs, without being restricted by what a particular vendor offers. In addition, businesses have the freedom to customize open source software to fit their specific needs. They can also collaborate with other businesses to improve the software and make it even more effective.

Also see: Top Cloud Jobs in 2022

4) Cost

Compared to proprietary solutions, open source software can be obtained at no cost or at a greatly reduced price. In addition, businesses are not required to pay ongoing licensing fees, which can add up over time.

Furthermore, open source software is often more customizable than its proprietary counterparts, making it easier for businesses to tailor the software to their specific needs. As a result of these factors, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of open source solutions is often significantly lower than that of proprietary software. This makes open source an attractive option for businesses of all sizes.

5) Higher Quality Software

Open source development allows businesses to tap into a global pool of talent. Developers from all over the world can contribute to an open source project, ensuring that the best ideas and practices are used.

Additionally, open source development leads to more collaboration between developers. By working together, developers can share ideas and knowledge, resulting in better code. Also, because the code is freely available for anyone to inspect and improve, bugs are quickly found and fixed.

By using open source tools, businesses can get the best possible software without incurring the high development costs associated with commercial vendors.

6) Safely Leverage Advanced Tech

In today’s business world, corporations need to be able to move quickly and efficiently to stay ahead of the curve. One way that businesses can do this is by leveraging open source technology.

Open source development allows enterprises to safely leverage advanced tech – developed with the advantages of open source – and ensures organizations have access to the latest innovations. By using open source software, businesses can save time and money while still getting the high-quality results they need.

Additionally, open source development allows businesses to tailor applications to their specific needs, which gives them a competitive edge.

7) Works in the Cloud

As more businesses move to the cloud, they are finding that open source software is the best way to take advantage of hybrid cloud architectures.

Open-source software is designed to work in the cloud, and it is easy to adopt and integrate into a business’s existing infrastructure. For example, 70% of IT leaders surveyed by Red Hat work for organizations that have adopted Kubernetes, and almost a third plan to significantly increase their container usage over the next year. Kubernetes is open source software designed to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.

Also see: Best Cloud Services Providers and Platforms

8) Time to Market

Open source software often has a shorter time to market than proprietary software. This is because open source solutions are generally simpler and easier to implement than their commercial counterparts.

In addition, businesses can leverage the expertise of the open source community to get their tailor-made applications up and running quickly.

9) Transparency

Open source software is built on the foundations of transparency and collaboration, which helps to instill trust in the digital infrastructure that we rely on. In an increasingly interconnected world, we must have confidence in the systems that we use. Open source software is developed transparently, meaning that anyone can view the code and contribute to the project. This overt openness helps to ensure that there are no hidden agendas or backdoors.

Furthermore, open source software is typically developed by a community of volunteers who are motivated by a shared passion for the project. This collaborative development model helps to ensure that open source software is of high quality and fit for purpose.

As businesses increasingly adopt open source solutions, they are helping to create a more secure and trustworthy digital ecosystem. In fact, President Joe Biden’s recent Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity was categorical that “the trust we place in our digital infrastructure should be proportional to how trustworthy and transparent that infrastructure is, and to the consequences we will incur if that trust is misplaced.”

Also see: Top Managed Service Providers

10) Interoperability

Open source software is usually built to be compatible with other software applications, which makes it much easier to integrate into various systems. This is in contrast to proprietary software, which often causes a host of interoperability issues in development and infrastructure environments. As a result, open source solutions can save companies a lot of time and money in the long run. 

Conclusion: The Future of Open source

While the open source development model may have started in the unconventional playground of developers, hackers, and visionaries decades ago, we’ve moved far past that. It’s now used for IT infrastructure modernization, digital transformation, application development, and application modernization.

Open source development is now a predominant component of enterprise software development, and it is the engine for continuous innovation—from on-prem to the edge to public clouds and beyond.

Also see: Top Zero Trust Networking Solutions 

Kihara Kimachia
Kihara Kimachia
Kihara Kimachia is a writer and digital marketing consultant with over a decade of experience covering issues in emerging technology and innovation. In addition to appearing regularly in Enterprise Networking Planet, his work has been published in many leading technology publications, including TechRepublic, eSecurity Planet, Server Watch, Channel Insider, IT Business Edge, and Enterprise Storage Forum.

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