Open Source Technologies…The buzz word, which is motivating any mid-level and even small-sized startups to take up the big digital challenges to prove their capacity. Yes, the open source technologies are acting as real assets o many of the global organizations to cater to some crucial and on-demand services within an optimized budget and no maintenance hassles.
Selecting the right technology for your business is a very crucial decision, and it could affect or benefit the growth of your business over the long run. For more than a decade, there are numerous arguments regarding the use of open-source technologies for the long haul. Is it advantageous to use open source technologies, or it is better to stick with traditional software solutions?
What is open source technology?
Open source technology or software is the term used for products, projects, or modules, which work with source code, available to all to modify, distribute, alter, and so on. The source code is available to anyone on the internet and is viewed by all. Some of the top open-source software are Python, Apache HTTP, Firefox web browser, and others.
Advantages of open source technologies
The benefits of using open-source tools and technologies are beyond imagination and also proven as the most profitable ones.
It is always a tedious task to develop and maintain complex tools and high maintenance technologies when you have limited scope or meant to use them for only shorter periods. Open-source technologies serve as an option in such scenarios to add benefits while implementing the same services with the help of alternatively available tools and technologies for reasonable cost investments.
Numerous enterprises are willing to shift to open source, and many have successfully implemented their business using open source. Here are some of the reasons why it is advantageous to follow such enterprises.
#1. Cost
Most of the available open-source tools and technologies are free of cost. Also sometimes, with open source technology, you will be spending very less of your working capital on technologies. In a practical view, you would be only spending time and resources on training your employees to utilize the software. You can use open source technology, free of cost, and thus, the overall overhead falls. If you are planning to start small, this is a great option.
The administrative cost is also lower as you need not pay for the license, usage, or compliance. It also reduces mundane administrative work of license tracking, usage management, and others.
The hardware cost reduces as the open-source technologies are compressed and portable. Thus, it takes lesser hardware power and requirements to work effectively. Even if you are using second-hand hardware components, open-source technologies will work at desired speed and efficiency.
#2. Upgrades are frequent
No need to worry about manually checking for the software upgrades or version changes. You will be promised to use always the latest updated version. When compared to the paid software packages, the open-source products get more frequent upgrades. It is because the source code is available to many. Thus, the time taken for fixing a bug or creating better performing elements is much less. These frequent upgrades can help you build a robust technology for your company.
Will it be a time-consuming process to upgrade every frequently? Well, if you worry about time, you can opt for automated upgrade processes, which automatically upgrade after notifying the changes.
#3. Independent of any supplier
When you are using a specific technology from a supplier, you are bound to the particular vendor for all your requirements, starting from plugins to services. With open-source code, you are free to modify anything at any time. And, at the same time, you will have a large active community that can help you with your problems and solutions. Remember that there are numerous communities available for each open source technology, and not all are reliable. Avid developers build some of the communities, and some are just gimmicks by service companies. Thus, choose wisely.
#4. Security
The most common point that any paid software company would put forward is security. The big companies question the security of data while using open source. When more people are testing and monitoring a particular module or software, the security of the product gets better with time. And with a community of developers working on it, personalized security flaws can be solved immediately. We do read many incidences about paid software hacked every day, and thus, owning a paid software does not grant you security.
#5. Reliability
From the eyes of many avid developers and users, the open-source technologies account as a more reliable element than the priced counterparts. With a large community working on the code, it is much easier to test the code and address any flaw. According to statistics, more than 90% of the cyberspace depends on open source, and this will give you a big picture of the percentage of the population believing open source technologies.
#6. Integration and flexibility
The open-source technologies work with a common information model, which allows you to integrate the technology into various applications, services, and others. This flexibility helps in easy administration and integration. It includes easy scaling while integrating.
#7. Do not go obsolete
While the whole market is walking towards open source, it would be suicidal to stick back to traditional methods. Resistant to change is the main reason for many major brands crashing down. If you wish to advance along with the crowd and ahead of your competitors, it is time to adapt to open source technologies.
Conclusion
Remember that there is no process, product, or element, which is 100% good and effective. You ought to learn about the pros and cons of open source technologies and analyze whether it would suit your industry and mission. When open source technologies are redefining the way businesses take place, it would be a fool’s move to not adapting to it. But, make sure to proceed with caution and backup.
