Could Open Source Help Your Business?

CS 308 - Technical Writing When to introduce open source software Most of all companies focus on raising revenues, but people in the software industry are no exception. Software makers and other technology companies face the same dilemma. They are trying to provide software that meets the needs of impatient people, even impatient companies and governments, while competing in a fast-growing market. These software companies can use many strategies, but one of the most realistic options is open source.

Open source is not a brand or a company. This is a community of people who will help solve other people's challenges like you. Therefore, the quality of the open source technology used in your company, and more importantly, depends on the community and its motivation. That's why it is important to support open source with donation to promote the technology itself and the people around it.

I am a big fan of open source. I am a big fan of companies building a sustainable business so they can stick with it for a long time. Open source (hopefully) is a strategy to achieve an important goal of the business. Like most tactics, it has strengths and weaknesses, which must match your goals. As a business as well as an individual, open source software has justifiable reasons. However, most of the motives I heard from the founders did not stand up. The company has built a healthy community (Github, Atlassian, VMware, Microsoft) and an extensible Freemium model (Github, Splunk, Slack, Trello), but it does not rely entirely on open source software release.

To develop open source enterprise software, a lot of capital investment is necessary. However, if open source startups require VC funding, they may harm the open source part (or the business itself) of the business model. There are some common problems when open source software companies accept investment in VC: business rules are still applied - startups need money! But capital should not kill the open source part of the business. Instead, motivate good software, give power to the community, and ensure ongoing innovation and stability.