Open source can excel on IT expectations

Bangalore: Open source has once again excelled against software companies/vendors. Nearly half of the enterprises think that a software purchase is successful only if the software is installed/deployed. However in case of open source, business only starts after a software is installed or deployed.

According to a study recently released by Neochange, Sandhill Group, and the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA), 45.3 percent of the 353 IT professionals surveyed call a software purchase successful if "the software is deployed/installed," according to CNET.

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75.4 percent (respondents could choose more than one answer) have a bit higher expectation. They aspire for "Business benefits realization," such as cost reduction, revenue generation as well. The result of this survey is surprising as it shows that the software industry has very low expectations from vendors.

However, if you compare this result with open source and Saas, the software companies don't pay a penny until the software is working. So the software being deployed and installed is taken for granted. The Neochange survey also asks, "What is the most important factor for realizing value from enterprise software?" The answer "Gaining user buy-in and ensuring effective usage to deliver business impact" garnered a 71.7 percent vote. That's more easily achieved with open-source software, in particular, which allows enterprises to evaluate and use software long before they opt to purchase support or add-on services/software.

In this way, open source improves upon typical IT success. With more than half of those surveyed reporting "less than 49 percent effective software usage," there is still room for a better model to optimize software utilization.