Abstract
This presentation addresses risks relevant to establishing business case comparisons between proprietary/closed-source and free/open-source software. Some significant risks are difficult to quantify but could have significant impact on cost of ownership if they materialize. Risks of applying proprietary/closed-source software include divergence of provider and user maintenance/upgrade priorities, prematurely forced upgrade, product abandonment, provider failure, constraints on who can perform maintenance, risks of dealing with small suppliers, risks associated with copy protection and rights management schemes, and risks of onerous license terms. Some of these risks can be mitigated by a software escrow arrangement, unnecessary with free/open-source software; however, in most cases, the potential consequences of the risks are disruptive. Risks of free/open-source software include key developer or community loss of interest, project abandonment, lack of documentation, and increased need for system administration and maintenance skills. These risks usually can be mitigated without disruption, although possibly with incremental costs. Because of the nature of free/open-source business models, inclusion of free-open source software among business case alternatives also depends on its being pro-actively placed in the acquisition process similar to a build-versus-buy consideration, unless the acquisition has a substantial component of outside support services. |
