The open-source movement has come of age, says Claudia Imhoff, president of Intelligent Solutions.
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Open-source software makes a big splash in the BI space.
by Claudia Imhoff
Open-source solutions started out as shiny playthings for the academic technology crowd. They were fun, innovative and, most importantly, free. But no one considered using them in real-world corporate IT shops-my, how times have changed.
These days, open-source solutions are not merely being considered, they are being implemented by enterprises at increasing rates. And you can't open a technology magazine or attend a data warehousing conference without reading or hearing about open source.
The popularity of these technologies is rising for several reasons:
- Shrinking IT departments. Companies of all sizes are trying to reduce IT staff wherever possible. IT departments are being asked to do more with fewer resources. They need all of the help and inexpensive technology they can get.
- Declining budgets. IT spending is under severe scrutiny. While business intelligence (BI) remains the No. 1 initiative for most enterprises, CIOs struggle to find funding for BI technology. This makes free software quite attractive.
- Dwindling tolerance for costly trial-and-error projects. Testing BI technologies or applications can be an effective way to determine what works and what doesn't, but it is traditionally expensive. To conduct a test, implementers had to buy the technology outright or purchase a limited-time license.
Enter the open-source movement. What started with developers who were fed up with proprietary software practices has grown into a full-fledged, sophisticated community with standards, codes of conduct, rules and formal procedures for what constitutes open-source products. The road to this end is not finished, and doubts, misconceptions and myths remain about whether open-source software (OSS) development is truly viable.
Negative perceptions
Apprehension regarding OSS poses a serious hurdle for many companies considering its adoption. Barriers include perceptions that:
- Open-source licenses are somewhat viral in nature
- OSS vendors don't provide formal support or training
- The velocity of change is high and unstable
- OSS lacks a long-term roadmap
However, not all OSS licenses are viral, especially when the technology is used in a standard BI application deployment mode. And most OSS companies make money from paid support, consulting, training, enhanced functionality and documentation. Also, many proprietary vendors do not disclose their exact plans either, leaving their customers guessing about the future of that software.
Many business models exist around OSS to provide a complete offering or product to help overcome these barriers. Offerings should include support, commercial licenses, professional services, training, certification, partner programs, references and use cases.
OSS benefits
Given recent cutbacks, the fact that OSS is free is perhaps the most compelling benefit. You don't need to justify significant up-front fees before you start a BI project. Instead, you download the software, begin building a prototype and demonstrate it to the business community, long before you have to pay a dime to a software company. It is a nice way to try before you buy. Of course, most OSS vendors have commercial open-source offerings as well. And while these do cost money, they typically cost less than products from proprietary vendors. Such offerings usually include more features, functions or extended professional services support.
OSS products for the full BI stack have also emerged in recent years. This expanding ecosystem signals the mainstreaming of open source in the BI market. This is good news for IT implementers because OSS vendors must work together to ensure interoperability and offer joint solutions to simplify deployment and operations.
Finally, the open-source community has grown to a significant size-and it is really active. A primary factor driving customer adoption has been a rebellion of sorts against vendor lock-in or the payment of software licenses. The combination of a lower cost of production with the freedom and flexibility prevalent in open-source deployments has been driving both adoption and production. The yin of BI software commoditization and the yang of customer demand for lowered costs of ownership have created a perfect opportunity for OSS and the open-source community. If you adopt OSS, it behooves you to become active in the open-source community.
Critical considerations
Before exploring an OSS BI solution, first examine your IT department's stance on open source. If IT resists its adoption, point out that open source is everywhere. If you use TiVo, Google, YouTube or even a cell phone, you have experience with open source. Many organizations use Linux, Apache or Firefox-all of which are open-source solutions.
Also address whether the current skills of the IT implementation team will transfer to an open-source offering. For example, if a programmer/analyst is experienced with similar software, the transition will be relatively straightforward. And while BI OSS vendors can provide training where needed, many of the skills used in traditional BI environments are easily transferable.
Take a look at innovative and cost-effective OSS solutions. Determine your organization's needs, its acceptance of open source, and the specific features and functions of such a comprehensive offering, and come to your own conclusions about its fit for your BI environment.
Claudia Imhoff, president of Intelligent Solutions, is a writer, speaker and expert on data warehousing and BI.