Open Source Approaching 30% Of Enterprise SoftwareOpen Source Approaching 30% Of Enterprise Software

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Open source software continues to gain traction in the enterprise, with more than half the respondents in a recent survey saying they've adopted such software as part of their IT strategy, according to a new Gartner study.

During the past five years, businesses have extended their adoption of open source software (OSS), typically at the expense of proprietary software, according to Gartner research. Five years ago, open source accounted for less than 10% of an organization's software portfolio, but is expected to represent more than 30% within the next 18 months, the research firm said. Simultaneously, internally developed software use has increased, suggesting OSS now is often used in conjunction with software created in-house, not as a total replacement of custom-written software, Gartner said.

Yet despite the growing popularity of open source, only one-third of poll participants had a formal OSS policy in place, the report said. Flexibility, increased innovation, shorter development times, and faster procurement processes were the reasons driving adoption, with almost one-third of respondents citing these reasons as motivators for adoption.

"Gaining a competitive advantage has emerged as a significant reason for adopting an OSS solution, suggesting that users are beginning to look at OSS differently -- if they can customize the code to make it unique to their company, they have created a competitive advantage," said Laurie Wurster, research director at Gartner, in a statement. "With greater in-depth understanding and access to the necessary skill sets, end-user organizations will continue to find new deployment of OSS. Although a search for reducing costs by adopting OSS continues to be a major driver, with this survey we see more respondents looking at OSS as having much greater value than simply getting something for free."

In the study, 22% adopted OSS consistently in all departments across a company, while 46% used OSS in specific departments and on specific projects, Wurster said. Open source use is expected to continue growing, as 21% of respondents said they are in the process of evaluating the advantages of OSS, she said.

"Based on these results, we see that OSS components and building blocks are utilized together with internally developed software to augment and enhance existing systems through integration and automation, as well as to improve business efficiencies and security," said Bob Igou, research director at Gartner.

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In part, the economy has encouraged some verticals -- such as government -- to investigate open source options. In November 2009, in fact, a group of open source code practitioners wrote to President Barack Obama, urging him to require wider adoption of open source code throughout government. Last month, Open Source for America released its 2011 Federal Open Technology Report Card, which measured the government's open source efforts.

"Using open technologies creates cost efficiencies, more responsive and innovative software, and can help governments, enterprises, and individual users avoid being dependent on a single vendor for software solutions. A 2009 Meritalk study indicated the U.S. federal government could save $3.7 billion by switching to open source solutions," the organization said. "Further, open source code is publicly available for review, meaning that flaws are more easily discovered and fixed. Open technologies are also a key ingredient to achieving the administration's drive to align the Federal budget and acquisition process with the technology cycle, strengthen program management, increase engagement with the IT community, and adopt light technologies and shared solutions."

Other verticals, such as healthcare, also are adopting open source solutions, Gartner found. As medical organizations invest in electronic health records (EHRs) and health information exchanges (HIEs), some are considering open source as protection against vendor lock-in, Gartner said.

In November, for example, the Department of Defense's Defense Health Information Management System (DHIMS) program office contracted with open source HIE developer Mirth for enterprise software and development support in implementing Mirth Connect.

"Mirth Connect represents a cost-effective and time-efficient way for agencies like DoD and the [Department of Veterans Affairs] to enable information to follow military personnel across broad distances and between government and private sector care settings, helping reduce costs associated with duplicate testing, and creating a safer, more connected healthcare environment for those who serve our country," said Jon Teichrow, president of Mirth, in a statement at the time.