Most companies are using Open Source. In fact, 85 percent of companies are now using open source and Gartner predicts that the remaining 15 percent of companies will begin adopting open source software within the next twelve months.
But only 31 percent of companies have any kind of a formal review policy or procedure for evaluating and procuring Open Source.
This could lead to problems because it could open up companies to potential intellectual-property viloations.
“Just because something is free doesn’t mean that it has no cost,” said Gartner research director Laurie Wurster in a statement. “Companies must have a policy for procuring OSS, deciding which applications will be supported by OSS, and identifying the intellectual property risk or supportability risk associated with using OSS. Once a policy is in place, then there must be a governance process to enforce it.”
