Over the years, open source software has become integral to every organization's technology stack. It is a core part of many an IT leader’s strategy for boosting agility, cost-efficiency and innovation. Recent research shows that 80% of IT managers using enterprise open source plan to increase their use in the next two years, seeing business benefits including improved ability to take advantage of emerging technologies such as AI, containers and edge computing.
However, open source shouldn’t just be the preserve of developers and IT teams. For it to have a transformative impact business-wide, the C-suite needs to understand how it can be harnessed. With leaders under pressure to embrace the rapidly evolving AI movement, which is largely drawing on open development, now is a pertinent time to explore open source more comprehensively across the organization. Here are four pointers to get started.
UK country leader at Red Hat.
Understand what the ‘enterprise’ in ‘enterprise open source’ means to your business
With the complexity of today’s cloud landscape, software supply chains are coming under increased scrutiny and it's vital to know where your code is coming from. Open source projects originate in communities ‘upstream’, involving contributors around the world. While this software is downloadable for free, you are responsible for the lifecycle management, monitoring and maintenance, which requires resources and expertise. Using enterprise open source shifts these responsibilities to a trusted supporting vendor, who takes on verification of third party dependencies and software stabilization, quality assurance, compatibility with hardware and software ecosystems and security. They can also provide technical support and strategic guidance on getting the best return on investment for your business. When evaluating vendors, check whether they are actively driving development of enterprise features designed to fulfil real-world business needs.
Open source's transparency is often an advantage when it comes to security, since patches can be scanned for, are well-documented and can be made promptly available to address vulnerabilities. As with any software, maintaining your own security procedures remains essential. With paradigm shifts such as cloud and containers, security requires ongoing attention and integration into development workflows. Choosing the right open source vendor can help with these security integrations and make sure security is baked into your platform from the outset.
Take advantage of an extended team
Modernizing an organization and delivering differentiating experiences to customers relies heavily on developer and IT management teams. However, even as their scopes expand, these teams often face resource constraints and skills gaps – with strategic thinking, AI and cybersecurity being the most in-demand, according to a recent survey of IT Managers. Open source presents an additional capability, giving access to a global community of contributors that can share expert guidance. A great example is the Fintech Open Source Foundation (FINOS), which brings together more than 70 members, including major banks and tech giants, to take advantage of collective intelligence to target a variety of industry opportunities.
Invest your people and time where it counts
Determining the right balance between using open source and developing in-house is unique to each business. Leaders must regularly take stock to consider where internal innovation will offer the most differentiation and business value, and focus resources accordingly. Elsewhere, external expertise and third-party software can help address specific demands.
When partnering with a software provider, make the most of what’s on offer. Software subscriptions often encompass a wide range of support, training and insights. Use these to your advantage to supplement your expertise and optimize how you’re using your systems to improve cost efficiency and measure and drive real business outcomes.
Foster a culture of collaboration
Open source thrives on people working transparently and collaboratively to build on each others’ contributions. Key principles include creating communities of practice to share knowledge, breaking down silos and setting up for continuous iteration. Cultivating this kind of open dynamic within an organization encourages idea-sharing and faster knowledge dissemination. We’re already seeing these open source practices become more widely adopted, even for in-house proprietary software development, where it is known as InnerSourcing. As well as boosting team productivity and efficiency, this can help make an employer more attractive to digital talent.
Championing open source in the C-suite
Software engineers can only take it so far – it’s up to senior leaders play a vital role in exploiting the potential of open source-driven innovation across the organization. This reaches to the line of business departments, not least legal and procurement, who need to understand how open source licensing works. The highest performing and most resilient organizations we see are those with a C-suite that is engaged in open source. There has never been more information and support available for those looking to tap open source, so if you haven’t started yet, the time is now.
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