Open-source software is here to stay. Gartner estimates by 2008, open-source software (OSS) applications will compete directly with closed-source products in every software infrastructure market. By 2010, predicts Gartner, IT organizations in Global 2000 companies will consider open-source products in 80 percent of their infrastructure-focused software investments and 25 percent of their business software investments. Linux is an established force, and Apache continues to hold the majority in the Web server market.
Don't use OSS, you say? Don't be so sure. Raven Zachary, senior analyst and practice head of the open-source discipline at research firm The 451 Group, indicates most insurers are using open source somewhere, whether IT management knows about it or not. “It's easy for IT to download [OSS] and use it without knowledge of the CIO or legal team,” he says.
The business benefits of OSS are enticing. “You can try before you buy, you can implement small, and you're not pressured into long-term enterprise agreements early on,” explains Mark Driver, a vice president and research director at Gartner who focuses on open source. “You truly can ease your way incrementally into open source and can leverage it practically for free if you have your own staff to support it.”
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