Open source underpins business competitiveness. Are you making the most of it?
It's time to gain a deeper understanding of the world of open source and how to harness it
Whether or not you know it, your organisation will be using open source software in some shape or form. Open source development is not a “nice to have” – it’s expected by today’s developers and IT organisations.
Yet, while the value of open source is being recognised by IT teams across all sectors as a means to boost agility, cost-efficiency and innovation, it's the C-suite who hold the key to maximising its potential for transforming business.
Companies that have embraced open source have developed a competitive edge to see them through times of rapid change. Take Covid-19: 92% of IT leaders found enterprise open source solutions key to addressing its challenges like needing to manage a remote workforce and optimise distributed collaboration. If this isn't you, it's time to gain a deeper understanding of the world of open source and how to harness it for your business strategy. We recognise it can be nuanced and unfamiliar, so here are our top pointers to help you:
1. Don't confuse no-cost with vendor-supported open source
Do you know where your code is coming from? And whether your software supply chain is secure? Is there someone you can call at 3am if something goes wrong?
Development of open source software begins in ‘upstream' communities, with thousands of contributors to projects, and is downloadable by anyone. But downloading open source software for free doesn't mean it doesn't cost you anything. Monitoring, maintenance and managing the lifecycle takes resources and competence.
Choosing the supported software route (enterprise open source) means the vendor takes this on. You pay a subscription fee and it's their job to stabilise and quality-assure the software, certify it works with an ecosystem of hardware and software, secure it and provide technical support and strategic guidance on the best way to integrate it with your existing environment for the desired results.
Different vendors contribute at different degrees back to the community, so look out for those who are driving development of enterprise features that address your real-world requirements.
2. Open source and security go hand in hand
89% of business leaders believe that enterprise open source software is as secure or more secure than proprietary software. The top benefit cited by the survey respondents was that their "team can use well-tested open source code for in-house applications." This reflects the increasingly widespread use of open source code for internal applications and explains the increasing attention we're seeing on software supply chains.
Other top benefits include how open source security patches are well-documented and can be scanned for, and the fact that vendors make vulnerability patches for enterprise open source available promptly.
This doesn't mean getting complacent about your own security procedures. With a paradigm shift like cloud or containers, there is always more learning to be done for companies to understand the security considerations. Security should be treated as a core component of successful transformation, not a blocker, or something that's only looked at when there's a crisis.
Make sure your enterprise open source vendor has security built into its code, and get the vendor's help integrating security into your development workflows.
3. Power-up your workforce
Business leaders are under pressure to think constantly about how they can disrupt themselves before they face a disruptive competitor. Developer and IT teams play a major role in modernising an organisation and converting business ideas into differentiating experiences delivered to customers.
But when times are tight, it's not always possible to dedicate budget increases to match expanded scope. IT teams risk becoming stretched and overworked as they are asked to achieve more with fewer resources. In addition, while the breadth of technology knowledge that companies require has increased hugely, specialist digital talent hasn't been able to keep pace. IT leaders cite the skills gap as the most common digital transformation challenge.
Open source is one answer to doing more with the same amount of people. When teams or individual users have questions, comments or enhancements for a specific technology component, they can turn to a global community of contributors. They can tap this rapid collective innovation to improve what they already have in place. Fintech Open Source Foundation (FINOS) is a great example of this, with over 70 members including some of the world's biggest banks and tech companies collaborating on a variety of programmes.
4. Focus on core competencies
The right strategy hinges on knowing when to use open source versus developing in-house. This relates back to your core business - where can your internal innovation and differentiation bring you the most value? What would you rather have your people working on?
You have to closely examine your core business and ask what you can provide that no one else can. Then you can make informed decisions on what to build yourself, where to use external people to solve a problem, and what areas need third party software to do the job.
When you do work with a software partner, make sure your team is fully exploring the capabilities it brings. As mentioned, a software subscription can include all kinds of support from security to training to insights and analytics. Harnessing these can fill key gaps needed to optimise your tech stack and run your IT more cost-efficiently so you can focus your efforts on moving the needle for the business.
5. Culture matters
Open source is all about collaborating openly and transparently to iterate on and improve each others' contributions and ideas. As Red Hat CEO Matt Hicks has said, it's "a strategy that can be applied to any number of approaches, whether business models, code development or culture".
Encouraging a more open dynamic in your organisation can help employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and trying new things. It can help get information and best practice around the organisation faster. It can also be a weapon of mass attraction for digital talent. Many developers want an opportunity to participate in cutting-edge tech in open source. And many people choose to work for organisations with a more open culture - Red Hat is a prime example of this.
On this note, we need to cast our net beyond the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and maths) when recruiting. We must be open to a broader range of skills and experience to help us understand and cater to the diverse customer base we all have.
Why do we need open source champions in the C-suite?
Open source is an innovation engine. But it's not enough for a software engineer to extol the benefits in their team meetings. Senior leaders have to play an active role in bringing open source enlightenment to the wider organisation. This includes areas like legal and procurement, which need to understand how open source licensing models differ from proprietary ones.
Executives who take time to understand the potential of open source are best placed to innovate faster, impact the bottom line and navigate uncertainty.
Many are already doing this. If you're not an open source advocate yet, what are you waiting for?
Joanna Hodgson is UK country leader at Red Hat