You will all recognise the names Microsoft, Apple and IBM as the world’s largest proprietary software vendors. Yet Open Source software has been gaining supporters and momentum as news of its benefits spread. This year, strong guidance on how to procure Open Source software and assess its suitability, plus a catalogue of OSS applications, is expected to be pushed through internal government, finally confirming its position in the mainstream arena.
What is open source?
The ‘free software movement’ was launched in 1983, which was then renamed in 1998 as Open Source software (OSS) – a term that was less ambiguous than its predecessor and fit more comfortably in the corporate world.
In its simplest terms, OSS is software that has been developed in a public and collaborative manner. Unlike proprietary software, it has non-restrictive licenses and is generally free to use, giving consumers the freedom to choose solutions that can be built, tailored and adapted to their specific needs, without the fear of prohibitive licenses and vendor lock-in.
Its key benefits include robustness, simple implementation and low maintenance. Open Source software does not directly attract renewal costs or fees and due to its flexible nature, lends itself well to skunkworks and agile projects.
These advantages are key when it comes to the public sector’s current standpoint – it is keen to find ways to reduce costs, whilst providing an increasingly efficient service, with changes in procurement now focused on gaining better value from every purchase made.
What about open standards?
An Open Standard is a standard where methods are publicly disclosed and available, enabling competing suppliers to build solutions to deliver the same outcome, thereby creating choice for the user. Open Source supports Open Standards as the code can always be viewed and inspected, preventing a single supplier from forcing a bespoke standard and locking the user in to a particular vendor.
Ponder this question – what if language was not an Open Standard? If we were unable to learn how to translate, it would be virtually impossible to communicate with other countries. This lack of communication between software is the current position of many proprietary applications.
Why make the transition?
The annual spend on ICT is not perceived to be delivering good value and in many cases, has also de-skilled many government departments as knowledge has been outsourced. Open Source alternatives could be applied to approximately 50 per cent of this spend, which will have a direct saving where license costs make up the figures. The indirect benefit is that Open Source counterparts would enable greater reuse of hardware assets and better reuse of systems and applications across departments.
The OSS approach also creates greater opportunities within the SME market, as a piece of work can be split up reliably, with separate companies working to the same standards. Measurements can be based much more on results and value delivered than they are currently. Innovation is also encouraged as smaller organisations will compete to deliver the most suitable solution for the requirements. Revenues will be driven by wrap-around services provided, instead of licence fees.
What is happening elsewhere?
There are multiple OSS initiatives currently being implemented across the globe, including a requirement in Sweden for bidders to demonstrate Open Source competence after a call for Free Software and Services, which led to the creation of an OSS framework agreement.
In June 2011, Australia released version two of ‘A Guide to OSS for Australian Government Agencies’, which recommends the best approach to Open Source and how it should be assessed.
The US Military has developed its own secure Linux system, which is recommended for use in online banking activities, secure remote access and other sensitive transactions. The turn to Linux was in response to the rising data leaks and unauthorised access attempts experienced on popular desktop systems. The latest version of LPS V1.2.5 was released on September 23, 2011.
The Government Open Source Conference (GOSCON) took place in Washington DC in August, with confirmation that the federal IT community was committed to saving taxpayer dollars through OSS. The Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPB) recently made an iQuery tool and shared the code, in the hope that the Open Source community would help keep the software up to date. Matthew Burton, a former CIA technologist who now works at CFPB, stated that this approach is targeted at the ‘instant legacy’ issue within government ICT – currently, once government contractors develop code, they’re done.
“A collaborative Open Source approach can help mitigate that finality,” explained Burton. “If you’re developing software with the public’s dollars, that code should be shared with the public.”
UK Government progress
The UK is behind many other countries in the adoption of Open Source. This may be attributed in part to the fact that approximately 80 per cent of the £20bn ICT spend is spread over just five System Integrator companies. However, progress is being made; during 2009, Open Source was placed on the agenda with the Open Source, Open Standards and Reuse Government action plan, which was further strengthened by the Coalition Government’s vocal commitment to OSS.
This year, the LSE was commissioned to produce a study of the costs of Open Source in comparison to proprietary software, and the Systems Integrators Forum was set up to ensure that the SI’s are aware of their Open Source obligations. CESG has formally stated its position on OSS, which is a positive step towards supporting Open Source from a security perspective. Full details are within GPC-38.
Looking to the future
Over the coming weeks, the ICT Action Plan is expected to be released, which will detail Open Source activities and the methods employed to measure their success. Supported by toolkits, surgeries and online evaluation tools, this plan will remove objections and provide channels to increase take-up of Open Source.
With increased pressure on the systems integrators and delivery against the plan, we should see clear evidence of change by spring 2012, with the UK government finally catching up with global trends and benefiting from the added security, economic advantages and innovation from SME engagement that OSS brings to the table.
Finally making waves in the corporate and political worlds, Open Source’s philosophy, methodology, flexibility in its usage and obvious cost benefits simply cannot be ignored. The tide has turned and OSS has become a major player in the future of IT and the UK Government.
For more information
Web: www.opusvl.com
