A presentation on how open source can help SMEs in the technology adoption process

1. Open Source software:
empowering SMEs
Carlo Daffara
Conecta
European Working Group on Libre Software

2. Overall slide deck summary
Basic facts on OSS
●
●OSS adoption models
●Overcoming barriers
●Delivery tools
●Application examples
●Long term sustainability: some potential models
●Common errors in OSS-based companies
●Consortia and development networks

3. LinuxDay 2007
da Windows a Linux in azienda

4. Apart from any ethical/development consideration, OSS must be
●
economically effective for companies
COSPA project: among the results, the demonstration that when
●
proper best practices are adopted, OSS can bring significant cost
reductions both in the short term (1 year) and long term (5
years)
The project also demonstrated that finding support, software
●
selection and roadmap preparation are among the significant
costs (up to 40% of all costs, when intangibles are counted)
16000
9000
8000 14000
7000
12000
6000
10000
5000
OSS
8000
Proprietary OSS-5yrs
4000
Prop-5yrs
3000 6000
2000
4000
1000
2000
0
SGV BH (phase 1) BH (phase 2) 0
SGV Estremadura BH (phase 1) BH (phase 2)

5. value
appropriated
collaborate and
redefine
champion
contribute
use
Time
business driven
engineering driven
denial
single product multiple projects

6. value
appropriated
collaborate and
redefine
champion
contribute
use
Time
business driven
engineering driven
denial
single product multiple projects
step 1: crossing the chasm between denial and use. It
requires knowledge on what is available, countering
wrong beliefs and FUD, best practices for adoption and
migration

7. Adoption is a multiphase process, where every step requires
●
significant attention
We should focus on helping EVERY stage
●
For example: requirement analysis is facilitated by having
●
reference data for commonly searched solution- best practice:
EBSN network
solution setup active life next cycle
requirement
analysis
dismissal/
installation integration testing training maintenan
migration
ce
identification of solutions

9. First step: identify needs, and whenever possible PROPOSE
●
actively solutions that are known to increase efficiency and
quality
The EU ebusiness-watch is a (limited) example
●
Proceed in two distinct directions:
●
● Horizontal: ICT that provides essential infrastructure (eg.
Security, backups, networking, access..)
● Vertical: industry oriented
Demonstrate through web-based seminars, presentations,
●
seminars, SME-oriented channels that:
● The solutions are effective
● That there are many other companies using those same ICT
tools
● That there is an economic advantage
● That there are learning tools and documentation
● (If possible) identify local companies that can provide support,
and create a country-wide registry
● At those same meetings, use the opportunity to ask for
information on what other tools they would like

11. Creating software catalogues, using an integrated evaluation
●
model (for example: QSOS, also a by-product of EU research).
For selected projects, finds local support companies with
competence in the identified solution
Catalogues need to be updated! Share the burden across
●
experts, and if possible engage local experts that may provide
up-to-date descriptions
As an additional tool, collect potentially vertical “stacks”
●
organized per industry
Collect the needs of potential OSS users, using standardized
●
forms (Technology Request/Technology Offer, TR/TO) to identify
IT needs
Find the set of OSS projects that together satisfies the
●
Technology Request
If there are still unsatisfied requirements, join together several
●
interested users to ask (with a commercial offer) for a custom-
made OSS extension or project
Aggregate and restructure the information created by other
●
actors

12. Adoption: whenever possible, installation should NOT be
●
necessary at least for demonstration or testing
Local companies may be interested in providing a web-based or
●
remotely accessible server for demos
Leverage virtualization: distribute common images through web
●
channels (for example, using VirtualBox images)
This way, testing may happen on linux, windows, OSX,...
●
Privilege solutions that require no (or limited) coding, even for
●
significant adaptations
Provide links to tools and documents that help in migrating from
●
other common platforms (this is especially important for
companies that use locally-developed software, eg. ERP)
Presentation guides (eg. Walkthroughs) are useful for helping
●
local user groups or local and independent dissemination agents

13. Catalogs should also follow the horizontal/vertical approach, and
●
should also provide different paths for desktop and
“infrastructure” applications, as previous studies found that
hurdles and activities are different
Desktop: identify multi-platform applications for specific tasks
●
and entire desktop environments (like Ubuntu), and keep those
separate as the adoption effort is substantially different
Server: differentiate across horizontal products that may help
●
without requiring an application change, and vertical products
As previous research has found, adoption has a significantly
●
higher success probability than migration
On similar products, provide comparative points (for example:
●
differences between Zimbra and Open-Xchange...)

14. Sustainability: for a local, healthy ecosystem there is a need for
●
LOCAL support companies, that not only help the adoption
process, but can provide localisation, adaptation (for example
adapting an open source ERP to local legislation)
Companies must adopt a sensible business model, and plan
●
accordingly
A common error: “we just drop this software as open source, and
●
we hope that someone will pay for support”
The error: As for every company, it is fundamental to understand
●
● What is sold
● To whom
● At what price
● The lack of a good business model is quite common, and killed
most OSS companies in Europe and US (in a way, something
similar happened to the first “internet companies”)
● A good approach can be the Osterwalder model:

16. Main revenue generation
Main Licensing model
OSS and multiple
Company dual licensing commercial Badgew are Pure OSS packages selection ITSC Subsc ription licens ing
v ersions covered
Funambol l l l
dual lic .
Lustre l l
MuleSource l l l l
Mysql l l l
OpenClovis l l
Pentaho l l l
sleepy catdb l l
A daptiv e Planning l l
A lterpoint l l l
A ltinity l l l
Codew eaver (WINE) l l
Coupa l l
Digium (A sterisk) l l
Split OSS/commercial releases
Enormalis m l l
EnterpriseDB l l
GreenPlum l l
GroundWork l l
Hy peric l l
Jas perSof t l l
Know ledgeTree l l
OpenCountry l l
Open-Xchange l
NoMachine NX l l
rPath l l
Sc alix l l
Sendmail l l
Smoothw all l l
Sourcef ire (SNORT) l l
Splunk l l
SSLEx plorer l l
SugarCRM l l l
TenderSystem l l l
V irtualBox l l
V yatta l l l
XenSource (Xen) l l
Zend (PHP) l l
ZIMBRA l l l
1bizcom l l
Badgew are
CA TS applicant tracking l l
EmuSof tw are/Netdirec tor l l l
Jbilling l l
OpenBravo l l
OpenEMM l l
OpenTerracotta l l
SocialText l l
A lf resc o l l l
Babel l l
CentraV iew l l
CleverSaf e l l
product specialists
Compiere l l l
Ex adel l l
Jitterbit l l l
Mergere l l
Mindquarry l l
Mirth l l
Of BIZ l l
Qlus ters (OpenQRM) l l
Sy mbiot/OpenSIMS l l
Talend l l
UltimateEMR l l
V ISTA l l
vTiger l l
Zenoss l l
platf . Provid.
Jboss l l l l
RedHat linux l l l
Sourcelabs l l l l
SpikeSource l l l l
SUSE Linux l l l
WSO2 l l l
s elec tion –
consulting
ay amon l l l
Enomaly l l l
navica l l
openlogic l l
Optaros l l l
x-tend l l l
CiviCRM l
Other
Ec lipse l
Mozilla l
OSA F Chandler l
Sourcef orge

17. For example: is the software distributed through the net? Is it
●
licensed (eg. RedHat)?
All those questions are essential for sustainability- and when you
●
have a local ecosystem, it is feasible to leave the long-term
evolution of the resources like the SME-toolkit to a community
Consortia: most companies aggregate, in a formal or informal
●
way, to increase profitability and to be able to answer bigger
tenders or requests
The non-rival nature of most projects make it possible in a
●
simpler way to create “co-opetition” strategies, with companies
competing on the market and at the same time sharing effort for
improving their products (eg. Novell, IBM, Sun with the
OpenOffice.org project)
Two main collaboration strategies were identified among smaller
●
companies: geographical (same product or service, different
geographical areas); “vertical” (among products) or “horizontal”
(among activities)

18. pkg1 pkg2 pkg3 ...pkg n
Software selection
Installation
Integration
Technical suitability cert.
Legal certification
Training
Maintenance and support
Legacy migration
This is an example of a “product specialist” or a “platform
●
provider”, that performs an integrated set of activities on one or
more packages. Multiple vendors with overlapping products can
collaborate on a single offer (eg. operating system and Groupware)

19. pkg1 pkg2 pkg3 ...pkg n
Software selection
Installation
Integration
Technical suitability cert.
Legal certification
Training
Maintenance and support
Legacy migration
This is an example of a “service specialist”, that performs a single
●
activity, on (usually) a very large number of packages. Collaboration
allows for the creation of an integrated service package along
multiple software offerings