The Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) movement has exploded in the last three-four years to an incredible level. Microsoft’s acquisition of GitHub , the platform where most open source projects and collaboration happens, was a watershed moment, and was indicative of how open source engineers themselves had become a huge market. “India has the second largest number of developers in the world and many of them use and collaborate on open source projects”, says Rushabh Mehta, founder of Frappe and ERPNext.

Ample Support from Companies

Enough support from different organisations has been provided for Open Source Software. They provide with the perfect open source software solution that effectively meet the requirements of customers. Open Source Software Support is mostly freely available and can be easily accessed through online communities. Also, there are many software companies in market right now which are known to provide free online help and different varieties of paid support. According to a recent survey, it is found that most of the organisations which are involved in creating open source software solutions also provide maintenance and support to its clients.

Easily Scalable

It is a well-known fact that if there is a system that is capable to scale the specific needs of the business, then balancing workload and achieving optimum performance becomes easy. The Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is considered flexible enough to scale the ever-changing business environments and becoming an excellent option for businesses of all sizes, since it is seen that when businesses grow to meet increasing demands of the market, they also expect their software to adjust to these growing demands accordingly.

Many business houses accept that making modifications in the business has become an easier and painless activity as all the source material is available online which is enough to get in-house development team work on the important and essential changes.

Cost Effective

Free and Open Source Software is effective in cost and it doesn’t make any significant financial impact on the organisation. On the other hand, the software having specific copyright and patent can cost heavy price depending on the integration and complication of the final product. Nowadays, mostly the business houses with varying levels of financial stability opt for an open source software as it is cost effective and keeps the owner away from any kind of license recurring or maintenance fees.

Safe and Secure

Whenever organisations think of using any new software for their business, safety and security are the major concerns kept in mind by them. In the patented software, the user cannot access and analyse the source code whereas free and open source software has its source code available and hence allows the user to analyse every bit of code. Since, open source software is easily available and accessible, it identifies and corrects the underlying flaws and malicious functionalities and helps the user to access the source code without any problem.

High Speed

Free and Open Source Software supports speedy development and supports instant operations. FOSS also supports developers in creating new solutions and latest innovations without any problem. The speed and flexibility offered by open source software enables the users to switch instantly if something goes wrong.

Challenges in Using Free and Open Source Software

Sometimes, Open Source Software becomes very complex and goes against the functionality which the user is trying to create. So, the users need to have a team of developers that can work to solve the complexities of the software. Also, open source software does not offer regular updates due to which there is a constant threat of security and malicious activities. Therefore, collaborating with the developers is the only option left for the integration and systematic workflow of the organisation.

Licensing Agreements May Differ

Open Source Software is not always free. Sometimes, it costs a good amount of money as well. So, one should make sure before purchasing that its licensing agreements are in sync with the business model of the buyer or not. Also, when the user uses open source software which is not created by him, there are chances that this software can make changes in his code without his permission. This can cause a severe damage and threat to the big organisations as with the use of some open source software, they could unknowingly expose their hard work and methods to the hackers which can exploit the organisation in a very small span of time.

How’s the Future Looking for Open Source Software

The move to cloud native organisations has been accelerated in the midst of COVID-19 which would definitely lead towards more innovations around the management of data. The open source services market will gain traction across the globe due to the growing availability of open source platforms, rapid increase in number of technically obsessed population and flexibility to modify the code. Through this, users are becoming capable to develop a code in a better way and make it more purposeful which will ultimately increase its relevance.