What Your CIO Needs to Know About Open Source

Today’s businesses are becoming increasingly familiar with the many benefits of open source software. In fact, 74 percent of IT professionals, in the U.S. alone, agree that the software offers better quality of continuity and control than that of proprietary. However, some CIOs are still skeptical about adopting open source software into their IT infrastructure as they’ve grown accustomed to their proprietary software vendors.

If you’ve been trying to make the case for open source software, but your CIO still isn’t convinced, strengthen your argument with this list of benefits:

• Improved security measures: Open source code tends to be more transparent than proprietary in detecting security flaws; that is, issues can be found and fixed by in-house IT personnel or outsourced to a third party, such as an intellectual property software audit service. For instance, potential security problems are identified and solved more efficiently as there is no need to wait for a proprietary software company to notify your company about a software bug.


• Compatibility: You can always find an open source software that best fits your product environment or IT infrastructures, unlike proprietary software, which is built to be compatible with specific environments or systems. In addition, proprietary software only offers company-specific features as a means of staying competitive with rival developers. With open source, an organization can configure and modify the software to meet pertinent business needs.


• Cost savings: Overall, open source software costs less, as hidden fees associated with the vendor’s marketing and development strategies are less prevalent. As well, company’s can add features and scale to open source software without paying for an expensive upgrade or investing in an entirely new proprietary software solution. That is, open source software enables businesses to adjust their IT needs while experiencing more potential for ROI.

Now that you’ve got a powerful stance on the advantages of open source software, it’s time to learn about compliance and management. Inform your CIO about resources that help you implement an open source software adoption process so your business can reap the benefits of open sources software worry-free.

What Your CIO Needs to Know About Open Source