A study commissioned by Instaclustr and conducted by Forrester Consulting found that some enterprises using Open Core technologies have expressed a clear desire to move to pure Open Source alternatives, but 70% of enterprises are in intercompany strategy and support There are obstacles. The report compares the advantages of using FOSS versus open core software and is based on data from a survey of 322 global application development decision makers; the survey began in November and will be completed in December 2021 .
While FOSS allows businesses to fully use the technology for free, "open core" solutions add additional proprietary features to existing open source offerings and add commercial licensing fees, Instaclustr said . In many cases, open core solutions result in vendor lock-in and often prevent businesses from owning or accessing the proprietary source code on which they build their applications.
FOSS is reshaping industries with mission-critical applications and changing the way businesses win. Through innovation, FOSS quickly gives businesses the competitive advantage they need by enabling an agile environment such as a scalable and highly reliable collaborative community, lower costs, and more. However, insufficient understanding of the differences between open core and FOSS can limit the benefits of adoption and additional costs and risks to the business. The report reveals some of the key perspectives on open source and open core software from key decision makers within the enterprise.
Key findings of the study include:
- The advantages of adopting an open core are freely available to FOSS.
Survey respondents ranked lower risk (41%), greater efficiency (39%) and the ability to move more easily to the cloud (33%) as the top benefits of open core solutions, also highlighting some Misunderstandings that persist within organizations. Policymakers who hold this belief should understand that mature and enterprise-proven FOSS enables clear governance, supported by a strong community, to proactively reduce security risks and improve technical efficiency and interoperability, the report said. FOSS users can also easily migrate to or across clouds without restrictions.
- FOSS brings cost savings, code freedom, and a strong innovation community.
Respondents cited lower costs (45%), lower licensing fees (41%), full access to application source code (40%), and community power (40%) as the top benefits of FOSS.
- The flexibility of FOSS is a major attraction.
Of the respondents who actively implement a FOSS-only strategy, 47% believe that free software provides favorable flexibility and unrestricted freedom. Full software portability was cited by 38% of respondents, and increased agility and adaptability were cited by 31% as driving their adoption of free software.
- Organizations trapped in open core commitments need better leadership support, expertise and assistance to adopt FOSS.
Organizations using open core solutions have shown interest in FOSS migration and adoption, but are hindered by a number of challenges. Thirty-nine percent of respondents acknowledged strategic inconsistencies across departments, while 31 percent cited a lack of comprehensive support and 29 percent cited a lack of open source technical skills. When asked what factors would better prepare these organizations for FOSS adoption, 41 percent of respondents said "getting outside help from qualified experts" was most effective.
- Organizations currently using FOSS are also seeking more partner-led support.
While organizations deploying FOSS have reaped many benefits, they also face challenges in making the most of open source technologies. For this reason, 84% of these respondents expressed interest in seeking an external managed services platform or consulting firm to support their FOSS deployment in a more professional manner. The more pressing needs of FOSS users currently from partners include: security (68%), scalability (66%), migration assistance (66%) and overall FOSS expertise (65%).
According to Peter Lilley, CEO of Instaclustr, the findings underscore the fact that decision makers overseeing application development strategies crave the cost savings, code freedom and strong community benefits that FOSS provides. These results also demonstrate that these organizations want to break free from the constraints of the open core, but need help to do so. The benefits of effectively leveraging true open source technologies will become more apparent as businesses grow in size.