It has been some time that we at TIS Labs have been working with OpenSource technology and trying to bring out the best for our clients. Yet, we have always been questioned about why anyone should adopt OpenSource technologies. Without any malice towards proprietary products, let me try to give an idea of how I look at OpenSource as something that benefits anyone who adopts these technologies. I will also try to address the genuine concerns of many vis-a-vis the technologies.
Before I start, let me make something clear - for those who think OpenSource = Free, the earlier this misconception is removed the better. There are no free lunches - you either need to invest time or money to use OpenSource technologies. And unless you really have the passion for it, investment of time may not be worth it. So, you do need to invest money. The question is where do you invest that money and how much - not whether you need to invest money. Unlike traditional proprietary products, Opensource solutions are driven by the services provided for the solutions.
One of the genuine concerns of people who talk about OpenSource is about ownership - who owns an OpenSource "product". The answer unfortunately, is not very straightforward, since there are many layers to it. So, for example, Redhat Enterprise Linux is an OpenSource product - but it is owned by Redhat. You do not buy RHEL, you buy subscription for support and updates. What you basically do is to insure yourself against possible security issues, get updates that can enhance your working experience and support in case of an issue you may face. Redhat is the face of RHEL. The same goes for many other distributions of Linux like Ubuntu, Mandriva, Oracle Linux etc. They all have dedicated teams which keep track of updates and bugs and security issues in OpenSource softwares and provide you instant access to the updates for a fee.
So, you could ask, what about a distribution like Debian or Centos. Are there no owners ? Who is taking the onus for these updates - the answer is there is a community - the same community, which keeps track of the softwares in the other Linux distribution. So, why buy Redhat and not use Centos. Well, that is a call you need to take - when you buy a RHEL subscription, you are giving your update headaches to someone whom you expect to take care of issues that may arise for multiple reasons. So, why am I harping on issues vis-a-vis OpenSource - are they more buggy ? The answer is no - they are more up-to-date than the proprietary software that you buy. The cycle for security updates, bug fixes and enhancements, all of which are part and parcel of any software (anyone IT guy who thinks there is a perfect software should seriously consider a change of profession), come faster, because there are millions worldwide who are looking into these softwares and testing them on a day-to-day basis. Compare that with a closed source i.e. proprietary product. The cycles are way longer since the number of people working on them is a handful compared to the Opensource softwares. What the Redhats of the world give you (and so does Debian and Centos) are very stable versions of the same softwares, so that security issues and bugs are minimal. And that is why, the versions of software in these are much behind the current versions of the softwares. So it is a question of comfort level of the IT administrator that determines whether they would go for a Redhat or Centos.
So, now that I have mentioned one way of looking at ownership, let me come to another way of looking at ownership. There are multiple organizations in the world, similar to TIS Labs, who take the pains of installing, testing and validating the OpenSource softwares, which then are offered as a solution to the customer. Who takes ownership for these - these companies do. We provide the support for these softwares - and we charge a fee for the same. This model is built a lot on trust, and companies like ours have to work our way up, but we have been successful because we have shown that we don't just propose these solutions but also understand them. This does not mean we do not work with Redhat - in fact we work very closely with them - because there is no real meaning in reinventing the wheel. But we leverage the support given by Redhat for their products (we are the biggest proponents of Redhat's Virtualization solution, RHEV in Eastern India and have extremely happy customers to vouch for it). But we integrate other OpenSource solutions to give a comprehensive solution to the client.
For more on TIS Labs, please visit http://www.tislabs.in
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