Open source software is changing the world of Information
Technology. But making it work for your company is far more
complicated than simply installing a copy of Linux. If you are
serious about using open source to cut costs, accelerate
development, and reduce vendor lock-in, you must institutionalize
skills and create new ways of working. You must understand how open
source is different from commercial software and what
responsibilities and risks it brings. "Open Source for the
Enterprise" is a sober guide to putting open source to work in the
modern IT department.
Open source software is software whose code is freely available
to anyone who wants to change and redistribute it. New commercial
support services, smaller licensing fees, increased collaboration,
and a friendlier platform to sell products and services are just a
few of the reasons open source is so attractive to IT departments.
Some of the open source projects that are in current, widespread
use in businesses large and small include Linux, FreeBSD, Apache,
MySQL, PostgreSQL, JBOSS, and Perl. These have been used to such
great effect by Google, Amazon, Yahoo!, and major commercial and
financial firms, that a wave of publicity has resulted in recent
years, bordering on hype. Large vendors such as IBM, Novell, and
Hewlett Packard have made open source a lynchpin of their
offerings. Open source has entered a new area where it is being
used as a marketing device, a collaborative software development
methodology, and a business model.
This book provides something far more valuable than either the
cheerleading or the fear-mongering one hears about open source. The
authors are Dan Woods, former CTO of TheStreet.comand a consultant
and author of several books about IT, and Gautam Guliani, Director
of Software Architecture at Kaplan Test Prep & Admissions. Each
has used open source software for some 15 years at IT departments
large and small. They have collected the wisdom of a host of
experts from IT departments, open source communities, and software
companies.
"Open Source for the Enterprise" provides a top to bottom view
not only of the technology, but of the skills required to manage it
and the organizational issues that must be addressed. Here are the
sorts of questions answered in the book:
Why is there a "productization gap" in most open source
projects?
How can the maturity of open source be evaluated?
How can the ROI of open source be calculated?
What skills are needed to use open source?
What sorts of open source projects are appropriate for IT
departments at the beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert
levels?
What questions need to be answered by an open source
strategy?
What policies for governance can be instituted to control the
adoption of open source?
What new commercial services can help manage the risks of open
source?
Do differences in open source licenses matter?
How will using open source transform an IT department?
Praise for "Open Source for the Enterprise":
"Open Source has become a strategic business issue; decisions on
how and
where to choose to use Open Source now have a major impact on
the
overall direction of IT abilities to support the business both
with
capabilities and by controlling costs. This is a new game and
one
generally not covered in existing books on Open Source which
continue to
assume thatthe readers are 'deep dive' technologists, "Open
Source for the Enterprise" provides everyone from business managers
to technologists
with the balanced view that has been missing. Well worth the
time to
read, and also worth encouraging others in your enterprise to
read as well." ----Andy Mulholland - Global CTO Capgemini
""Open Source for the Enterprise" is required reading for anyone
working
with or looking to adopt open source technologies in a
corporate
environment. Its practical, no-BS approach will make sure you're
armed
with the information you need to deploy applications
successfully (as
well as helping you know when to say "no"). If you're trying to
sell open
source to management, this book will give you the ammunition you
need.
If you're a manager trying to drive down cost using open source,
this
book will tell you what questions to ask your staff. In short,
it's a
clear, concise explanation of how to successfully leverage open
source
without making the big mistakes that can get you fired."
----Kevin Bedell - founding editor of LinuxWorld Magazine
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