When one thinks Open Source, usually one thinks of ‘free’. That in fact is what an IDC study found too. The number one reason that people adopt ope source software is because of the cost savings. It may seem a little strange then to also find that enterprise spending on open source is up.
Spending that is on integration and support around open source software. 60 percent of the IT executives surveyed reported that services and expenses around
open source software increased in 2007. The services around open source that saw the greatest growth include quality assurance, testing and certification.
The same respondents estimate spending on open source projects to increase another 150 percent in 2008.
IDC cites the slowdown in the US economy and very tight IT budgets as a very big factor as to why companies are looking to open source. They see companies spending less on software and more on related services. As a result of this reality, many service providers are forging alliances with open source providers.
Small to medium sized businesses with 1000-10,000 employees in particular are looking into open source as an option. And because of that, services in the SMB sector is expected to continue to be strong. The biggest challenge these companies are seeing though is to be able to adopt open source and to integrate it with existing proprietary systems.
