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Factors influencing open source software adoption

Factors influencing open source software adoption. Meeting on the Management of Statistical Information Systems (MSIS 2014) Dublin, Ireland and Manila, Philippines 14-16 April 2014 Brian Buffett, Head of Statistical Services & Technology. Overview. Context Innovation as a process

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Factors influencing open source software adoption

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  1. Factors influencing open source software adoption Meeting on the Management of Statistical Information Systems (MSIS 2014) Dublin, Ireland and Manila, Philippines 14-16 April 2014 Brian Buffett, Head of Statistical Services & Technology

  2. Overview • Context • Innovation as a process • Open Source Software adoption • The Statistical Industry • Summary

  3. Context • Perspective of software adopters – not producers • Explore statistical agency adoption of OSS • Messages for ‘industry built’ software sharing initiatives?

  4. Industry agnostic view

  5. Stages of Innovation Adoption • Stages of <Open Source Software> adoption • Unaware of Open Source Software (OSS) • Aware of OSS but not in the specific area (business or technical) • Seeking information about OSS in the area • Aware of OSS in the area, considering (possible exit point) • Piloting OSS (possible exit point) • Using OSS in production • Moving through the stages relies on the accumulation of knowledge • From external sources • From internal experiences & projects • Individuals are fundamental to the process

  6. Evolution • The majority of organisations who consider OSS end up adopting it • Once organisations start using OSS, usage expands from simple applications to mission-critical applications • Once organisations have adopted OSS for a wide range of applications, it is no longer viewed the same – it begins to be treated the same as commercial software • Once that point is reached, OSS is evaluated against the same criteria as commercial (COTS) s/w and must meet the same requirements and standards

  7. Towards successful OSS adoptionManaging Change • Build support for the initiative • Identify & address internal barriers • Identify risks • Impart skills and knowledge on teams which will be affected • Introduce governance • Adapt purchasing policies • NOTE: OSS has a specific culture and there are champions, detractors and neutral persons regardless of a specific business case

  8. Procurement example • Government (or Agency) procurement, asset management & requirements specification will need to evolve to support OSS and industry sharing models • Example from UK Government ICT Procurement Guide • Evaluation is to be based on best value and consider commercial and OSS solutions equally. In case of ties, OSS wins • Example of requirements to be considered: • Security • Scalability • Minimum and essential functionality • Transferability • Manageability • Maintenance & support requirements • Total cost of ownership, including exit and transition costs

  9. Statistical Industry View Summary of Results

  10. Where are organisations focussing their efforts – top ranked goals • Improve integration between applications • Increase process-oriented statistical production (reduce silos) • Reduce IT costs • Increase industrialisation of statistics • Increase collaboration with other statistical agencies • Adopt or increase use of DDI and/or SDMX standards • Use IT to increase innovation

  11. Policy • Eleven (out of 43) organisations have organizational policies regarding OSS adoption and use. • Policy orientation: • Ten policies are oriented in favour of OSS adoption • One policy is neutral

  12. Statistical OrganisationsOpenness to OSS

  13. Statistical Organisations and the Innovation Adoption Stages

  14. The official statistics industry • Has shared goals and this was confirmed by the study • Is widely researching, evaluating, and using OSS • consistent with high rate of adoption in entire public sector • Is using OSS in all areas of statistical operations • Is planning to increase OSS usage in the next 48 months • Views best practices as important but has not implemented them / is not implementing them • Identified OSS having lower operating costs than COTS • Identified the same major concerns as other industries • Availability of service and support • Security

  15. Which characteristics of OSS are most important? • Highest level of agreement across staff roles • Ability to use OSS without restrictions • Support in OSS of open standards • Ability to reduce dependencies on vendors • Highest variance between staff roles • Ability to view and modify source code • Ability to create and distribute derivative works • Ability to participate in & contribute to OSS development • Ability to participate in & contribute to OSS communities

  16. Good Practices when Deploying OSS • Managing maintenance and support costs • Having rules governing OSS development, maintenance, security, and support • Having guidelines & approval processes for choosing OSS products prior to adoption • Rating & ranking OSS risks and mitigating those risks • Monitoring the OSS community to ensure adequate development & support of components used by the agency • Ensuring relevant internal skills in OSS development or operations • Establishing a support model for the OSS product/solution • Establishing internal development, testing, and change management processes for OSS

  17. Greatest Concerns regarding OSS • Availability of service and support • Security of the software • Lack of relevant internal skills and knowledge of OSS (development and operations) • Product Immaturity • Inability of OSS to help meet business goals

  18. Services from external companies re. OSS • In highest demand • Consulting • Integrating multiple OSS components • Training • Lifecycle support • Integrating OSS with other software • Lowest demand • Legal support • OSS operations • Certification of OSS • OSS selection

  19. Security • Consistently ranked as a top concern across all industries • Security evaluations by specialist firms found security to be comparable between OSS and COTS s/w • OSS is not more or less secure than COTS • Heartbleedopensslbackdoor notwithstanding!

  20. Summary • Innovation adoption is a process – barriers, risks, elements to manage all change as organisation changes • People are critical to the process • Major concerns are maintenance/support and security & security of OSS is equivalent to COTS • Statistics agencies need to carefully evaluate the true lifecycle costs of OSS vs other models • OSS adoption could provide good lessons for industry sharing initiatives • Efforts to increase software sharing could benefit from targeting assistance at the various process stages

  21. Thank You! Brian Buffett Head of Statistical Services & Technology Email: b.buffett@unesco.org

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