5 Reasons Why Open Source Software Is Perfect For Enterprise Solutions
Enterprise open-source software came a long way from being created and maintained by passionate developers looking for game-changing solutions, to becoming the backbone of the tech industry and in many ways overcoming traditional enterprise software. The past few years saw the rise of investment in open source solutions by the likes of IBM, Intel, Facebook, and Google - to name just a few.
Below are just a couple of facts to prove that open source software is running the tech industry as we know it and many open source projects are pioneering new technologies in computer software overall:
- The most popular web server is currently Apache (OSS).
- Open source web browsers (Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome) gain great popularity among web users.
- GNU/Linux is the number one server operating system on the public Internet.
- Linux-based Android smartphones have become a powerful market force.
- Three of today’s top five most popular database management systems are open source: MySQL PostgreSQL and MongoDB.
You may ask why is OSS worth investing in? Well, here are a couple of reasons.
1. Security and Reliability
Once you open your code to developers, you can be sure that they will find bugs you never saw in the first place when looking at the code raw or developing yourself without outside help. More eyes on the source code will only increase its security and reliability - that is why OSS vulnerabilities are often addressed and fixed immediately. Open source communities, like GitHub, exist to drive this bug testing and reporting on a constant basis. They can truly automate the process of product updates.
OSS development is also the driver behind a strong community of developers maintaining and testing the code. This automatically ensures the quality of the code and its longevity. When a closed software company goes out of business you’re suddenly left alone with no support whatsoever. OSS guarantees that you have access to the code, can contact its maintainers for support and you can hope for future bug fixes and security patches.
Security risks are no joke at an enterprise level. Open source security can help any internal security team flourish. This in turn results in overall better security for those using the software or clients a company relies on for sales.
2. Freedom of Operation
Open source code gives you a greater freedom of operation. You’re no longer dependent on particular software vendors and their internal processes and politics. You’re free to innovate at your own pace and adjust your software to future needs as they appear.
This freedom is also a big commercial advantage - it speeds up your development process significantly, decreasing your product’s time to market. Thus, enterprise open source software is the way to go if you value freedom and being in the cutting edge of development. Open source technologies can even lower the total cost of ownership and help performance management in addition to the freedom of choosing open technology with any framework you wish to use.
Open-source technologies are here to stay and open source development will continue to make strides in the coming years if not decades to a point where who knows, everyone may be using open source. Today, enterprise open source products often rely on open source support from many startups and larger companies simultaneously.
3. Cost and Time Effectiveness
Speaking of time - imagine how much it would take you to develop a particular software component from scratch? If you want a more efficient workflow in developing something from scratch, consider the open source development model even as a software foundation in order to develop software. It will lower total cost of ownership for you as a result.
A ready-made OSS saves you a lot of effort and makes sure that you won’t be reinventing the wheel. It gives you access to a customizable out-of-the-box solution, developed by a team of top-notch programmers who are experts in their field. Using a stable ready-made software component shifts your focus toward other business-specific priorities and goals. A lifecycle thus can improve considerably.
Embracing open source should be a priority of any modern business. It will improve your development and testing workload, automation, and fix security vulnerabilities much quicker by teams from all over the world having access to the source code. A good open-source strategy values transparency and working with others.
4. Support Channels and “Try Before You Buy”
OSS development leaves behind a trace of tangible knowledge about the product. Regularly maintained software is accompanied by rich documentation and any issues regarding its implementation and configuration are often discussed online.
The “Try before you buy” factor of OSS is also a great advantage. You’re often encouraged to try the product out before you decide to buy it or ask for its customized version.
“Wait a minute… Buy? I thought Open Source is free…” Yes it is, but let’s face it - the added value for using OSS in your enterprise comes with the additional services provided by the OSS author.
For businesses that want to be sure they receive the professional support they need, there are paid support options which are often far below the costs of what most commercial vendors would charge for similar services. These include custom development, assistance packages, Service Level Agreements, trainings, audits etc. These services add an extra layer of reliability and security in both legal and technical terms.
They also mean that you get great value for your money. What would you rather do: invest large amounts of money into a closed software which is non-customizable and upgraded from time to time or spend the same amount of money on a fully customizable, regularly maintained piece of software that you completely own?
5. Fully Owned and Customizable Software
When choosing a commercial license for your Open Source Software you obtain absolute freedom to customize the code without making your changes publicly available. This way you can keep your commercial software solutions secret and at the same time fully enjoy all the benefits of OSS mentioned above. In practice, this means that you will be able to distribute or sell your software with the OSS component inside in a completely legal and legitimate manner.
Since quality OSS is maintained and developed regularly, it’s also easily customizable. Even entire operating systems like Linux are open source and there is no limit in what sort of software can be created using an open source model. they have created a digital transformation from the 1980s and before when software was locked behind closed doors for the most part. it allows for more flexibility than operating systems closed behind a lled garden and the ability to choose how run software within the OS. various distributions exist, Ubuntu is a good and known example, that show some of the options users of Linux have versus when relying on an OS a distributor or vendor fully controls.
Customization and freedom of operation for both developers and end users should not be taken for granted. And a good opens source program can make this a reality.
Our Solutions for Businesses
Besides having all of the above in our offer (CKEditor is a fully documented, customizable, widely used and reliable piece of software), we also provide extra services for enterprises.
Our CKEditor Enterprise version includes:
- Absolute freedom to customize the code and keep your business safe and secret.
- CKFinder (online file manager) and Accessibility Checker integration.
- Consulting, support and custom development services.
Our content editing tools help lower the costs of development, speed up and improve the quality of large enterprise projects. Please contact us to see how the same solutions could add value to your business. Embracing an enterprise open source strategy will go a long way in making a product successful.
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