Experts contradict on open source

By Leon Engelbrecht for Gartner
Johannesburg, 15 Apr 2008

The use of open source software will become a key enabler for software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform adoption, says Gartner. However, software developers at the IQ Business Group (IQBG) say there is no such thing as a free lunch.

A new Gartner report enthuses that 90% of SaaS providers will have some open source component in their technology infrastructure stacks (that is, operating system, application server and database) by 2010 to reduce software acquisition expenses.

The research firm adds that user communities are expanding around application-platform-as-a-service providers and will leverage open source practices for sharing software applications.

"As the community of SaaS users increases, along with the emergence of associated application-platform-as-a-service providers` open source-type practices, application exchange will continue to grow," says Gartner VP and analyst Robert DeSisto.

"Community capabilities, such as voting and validation of those useful applications versus ones that are not, will help self-police these emerging communities. The more SaaS vendors use open source in the technology stack, the lower their software acquisition cost becomes," DeSisto adds.

But!

However, IQBG analyst Karl-Heinz Wessinger cautions that a rush for open source could turn out an expensive, rather than free, lunch. Wessinger says the growing popularity of open source software around the world clearly underscores the growing demand for a viable alternative to proprietary software.

There is nothing wrong with that, he says, but cautions that any South African organisation opting for open source at this time should be concerned about the availability and cost of people who can support open source properly.

"The initial `free` price tag of open source is undoubtedly enticing to all those who need to adhere to a tight IT budget. In fact, most technology decision-makers will be hard pressed not to be interested in the `free` alternative that open source offers," Wessinger says.

"However, they need to be aware that with most types of software, administration and support costs overshadow the software licence cost," he adds.

Wessinger says the question of whether open source software is less costly to administer and support than platform software depends largely on the availability of people trained on the system.

"We all know that there`s a worldwide shortage of IT skills. In SA, the situation is far worse and deteriorating as skilled resources are increasingly lured offshore. From an open source perspective, the situation is becoming critical.

"At present, there are probably five platform resources available for every open source specialist. The result is that the premium we already pay is at least 25% higher," he says. "So, even if an organisation that chooses to go the open source route is able to find a trained resource, they can expect to pay a hefty premium for these skills."

Another "hidden cost" of open source that should be considered is the availability of administration tools, and the number of version upgrades and patches that are issued by the developer. In this regard, open source software may have little if any advantage over proprietary software, the IQBG analyst says.

Then there`s the issue of warranties: Wessinger notes that unlike platform software, open source software is normally provided without warranty. "This means organisations have no recourse should the software malfunction or not perform, and there is also no guarantee of good documentation or support. With platform software, end-users have access to direct vendor support, third-party systems integrators and help-desks," he adds.

Finally, there`s the question of training to consider. "How is the organisation going to reduce costs if it has to retrain all its personnel to use the open source software? And who is going to foot the bill for retraining existing IT resources in open source?" he asks.

Wessinger, like Gartner, does see a place for open source. "Experience has shown that organisations that are very self-reliant with in-house open source expertise, can do very well with open source," he says.

"But the money an organisation may have to spend for technical service, support, training, customisation and testing open source software, may wipe out any cost benefits that could accrue from it being `free`. Each organisation should evaluate the benefits of open source from its own perspective," he advises.