1. FOSS in the Public Sector:
agile.open.connected
Business and Sustainability Models
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 Cesare Brizio

2. This presentation is not about “which exact
steps you should take”: PloneGov didn’t
discover anything new, and I’m not in the
condition of teaching “secret arts”.
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

3. Rather, it’s a talk about awareness, about
understanding a system that generates
opportunities - a free software community - and
about surrendering to that system
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

4. From energy to synergy:
let’s put the pieces together
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

5. Three different energies...
Public Free SW Free SW
organizations communities SMBs
Requirements Methods and Technical
and operational opportunities knowledge,
knowledge (“lifestyle”) services
new Laws,
Procurement...
Who else can
provide them? ?
Which is the smartest way to converge?
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

6. Each source should irradiate the other two!
Law should Public
favor this organizations
synergy!
Global and
National
crises provide
un ,
so le, fr ity
mm ds
So ult
Co ini atio
ftw ee
opportunities!
co tho
Cu
lut ing
are
ns ng
Tra miz
Me
sto
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gy e,
ate ar
Re
sty
s,
str oftw
qu
, n
ire
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Fre
nts
Methods,
community
style, free
com
software
Fre niti
SM W
eS
Bs
e S es
mu
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Free software,
strategy
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

7. We call such a synergy
“The PloneGov Triangle”:
everybody keeps on doing what he is best at,
it just requires...
• a mature free software community
• companies actually embedded in that community (not
opportunists...)
• some degree of involvement of the Public Sector in that
community
• in short, each side of the triangle must be self-
sustaining!
PloneGov itself is a community
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

8. THE MODEL
Public bodies
MAY APPLY TO
ANY MATURE
FREE SOFTWARE
XXX Gov
Plone free RedTurtle,
software Zea Partners network
Community & other SMBs
✓ Tri-polar synergy
✓ Simple concepts, far-ranging implications
✓ Network-style collaboration at all vertices
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

9. A borderline case from Belgium:
“IMIO, nouvel acteur de la mutualisation informatique pour les
communes” (http://www.communesplone.be/)
Union des Villes et
Communes de Wallonie
A project-centric communitiy
(“CommunesPlone”) of “Do It
Yourself” Public bodies
✓ Under very specific conditions (availability of skilled resources within the
Public Sector, tradition of common investments) such as the CommunesPlone
platform, the Public Bodies can do all by themselves
✓ Resource pooling, Project-focused collaboration
✓ Excellent example, but too advanced, unapplicable in most cases. PloneGov
Italia may be less impressive, but is much easier to generalize and spread.
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

10. Why the Public Bodies?
... well, OSEPA already knows the answer :-)
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

11. I hinted at “.....some degree of involvement of the Public
Sector in that community”
Q.: which degree???
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

12. A.: Any degree, up to this:
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

13. Why Plone?
(...or any other suitable free software community....)
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

14. COMMUNITIES:
a key feature of free software
Metrics of openness and
reliability: Simon Phipps’
Software Freedom
Scorecard
The model can only be based
on a mature free software
supported by an active,
mature and widespread
community, worth
participating. A community
giving an advantage to its
members.
C. Brizio

15. FREE
SOFTWARE
Operating Personal
...
Systems productivity CMS DBMS ERP ...
... Drupal Joomla ... ... EZ Publish Alfresco ...
Standard CMS Enterprise CMS
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

16. Why RedTurtle?
(...or any other suitable community-embedded SMB serving
the public sector....)
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

17. RedTurtle: the importance of
being embedded in the
community
Opportunists (“pretenders”) may
look like believers, we are believers.
✓ highest standard of involvement:
• see what’s happening Opportunists may look like believers,
but they can just float ...
• influence decisions
• have some saying on the
roadmap
✓ highest standard of ethics and
commitment:
• release software
• be fair
• be collaborative
... where we swim.
C. Brizio

18. RedTurtle
network and community
✓ a scalable workforce:
• we
• our business network
• Plone core developers
• Plone community
✓ a continuing involvement in
the evolution of our
reference technology and in
the community
✓ about 70 Products released
with GPL license
C. Brizio

19. ZEA Partners
✓ A global network of SMBs
building open source solutions
✓ 20 partners, 2 italians
(RedTurtle is part of the board)
✓ ZEA in 2007 contributed to the
birth of PloneGov.org by
providing technical assistance to
the founding members in Belgium
✓ Recently reborn in Italy (I’m the
secretary) ZEA continues to
engage actively in the support of
the PloneGov initiative, in Italy
and elsewhere
C. Brizio

20. http://www.plonegov.org
Gov Italia http://www.plonegov.it
The PloneGov device: mechanical parts
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

21. PloneGov
A worldwide community
of the Public Sector,
aimed at sharing and
reusing Plone software
and Plone knowledge
among the member
Public Bodies.
Requirements?
•Being a Public Body
•Using (or having
interest for) Plone
C. Brizio

22. Gov Italia
✓ The national chapter of PloneGov (http://www.plonegov.it)
✓ About 50 members
✓ Different public bodies and solutions: Universities, Health
Agencies, Regions, Provinces, Cities, Chamber of
Commerce, ...
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

23. Plone, PloneGov and ZEA Partners - the big picture
A community A Free Software
of developers Technology
A PUBLIC BODY
A NATIONAL NETWORK OF PUBLIC BODIES
Gov Italia
Gov
A GLOBAL NETWORK OF PUBLIC BODIES
Promotes and gives technical support
A GLOBAL NETWORK OF COMPANIES
A COMPANY
And any FLOSS company and freelance may join in the business model (no monopoly)!
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

24. Sustainable reuse model, the “bottom-up” way
other
bodies PloneGov ‣ triggered by an
individual Public Body
reusable reusable
solution solution (e.g. Chamber of
Commerce, Town,
Plone SMBs, ZEA network local Agency...)
‣ propagating by “peer
1) REQUIREMENTS to peer” infection
2) VALIDATION
among other individual
3) PROTOTYPE organizations
‣ particularly suited for
4) SUPPORT TO REUSE products
“Pilot” body
‣ may escalate to “top
Reusing down” model when
bodies becoming epidemic
and attracting the
attention of an
Association of Public
Bodies
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

25. Sustainable reuse model, the “top-down” way
other
bodies ‣ triggered by involving
Public Bodies in the Association PloneGov
an Aggregate of Public
reusable reusable reusable
REQUIREMENT REQUIREMENT solution solution solution Bodies
‣ propagation “by
P. B.
directive” and by “peer
Assn. HARMONIZATION VALIDATION
to peer” infection
“Pilot” body PROTOTYPE Plone SMBs, ‣ suited for products but
ZEA Network particularly well-suited
for ad hoc projects
Public Bodies SUPPORT TO REUSE ‣ market target
Association
potentially bigger
Reusing ‣ human and
bodies economical resource
pooling may be much
easier
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

26. Gov Italia
The PloneGov Model - case studies
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

27. Model 1 - “Institutional” reuse
a real case from an Association of Communes
Unione Reno Galliera Gov Italia
Online official board integrated with different
Resolutions management softwares
Communes of the Unione
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

28. Model 2 - Horizontal infection (solutions)
a real case between identical Public Bodies
Chamber of Commerce of Ferrara Gov Italia
Portal and Intranet
8 other Chambers of Commerce Gov Italia
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

29. Model 2 - Horizontal (modules)
An example (among many) - between two identical bodies
City di Modena Gov Italia
Monet.Modulistica
City of San Giovanni in Persiceto Gov Italia
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

30. Model 3 - Cross / bidirectional reuse
a real case between two similar bodies
Province of Ferrara Gov Italia
Intranet / DMS / Resolutions /
Quality Management System
Official Register
City of Padova Gov Italia
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

31. Model 4 - Bottom-up escalation
vertical reuse: hierarchical escalation
City of Modena Gov Italia
Youth Information portal
Emilia Romagna Region Gov Italia
GECO Federated Portal
National Level
(Agreement RER / ANCI / Ministry of Youth)
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

32. Model 5 - On-demand development
borderline case: “on demand development” (offer in reuse)
Chamber of Commerce of Ferrara Gov Italia
Digital Archival and Search of criminal lawsuits files
State Prosecutor Office, Court of Ferrara
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

33. Model 6 - Pooling brains and experiences
self-managed technical events
City of Modena, Emilia Romagna region Gov Italia
Workshop for the exchange of PloneGov solutions (November 2010)
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

34. Model 6 - Pooling brains and experiences
browsing around for the missing pieces....
Guardia di Finanza Gov Italia
City of Modena Gov Italia
Regione Emilia Romagna Gov Italia
Websites and Institutional portal
2nd OSEPA Conference in Jihlava 28 – 29 March 2012 C. Brizio

35. Grazie. Thank you.