Open-source software adoption on the rise, report shows

Companies are increasingly turning to open-source software at the expense of proprietary software as they move to cut costs, according to a recent report.

Open-source software is software whose source code is available to the public and is often developed in a public manner.

On the other hand, private entities develop and hold sole legal rights over proprietary software.

Compiled internationally from a survey of 1,893 companies, the report further claims that Linux dominates new strategic areas of business.

Companies are looking to open-source for cloud computing and big data services.

“Proprietary software providers have been very reluctant to provide their product as a service on the cloud, and this is harming them,” said technology consultant Eric Makau.

The report would seem to vindicate local claims that Kenyan companies are opting for open-source software in the face of rising operational costs.

Windows usage

The study carried out by the Linux Foundation and the Yeoman Technology Group indicates that 80 per cent of companies currently using Linux software plan on expanding usage while only 21.7 per cent plan on expanding usage of Windows, a licensed Microsoft product.

“This year’s enterprise Linux survey shows that affinity among new and veteran Linux users continues to increase at the expense of Windows and Unix,” reads the report in part.

Some analysts are taking reports such as the one conducted by Linux with a grain of salt.

“The study is Linux commissioned so you have to account for bias. Additionally, Windows has already reached its critical mass so its growth may be relatively slower in comparison to newer entrants,” said technology analyst Kennedy Kachwanya.

But most industry players are in agreement that open-source software adoption is on the rise.

“The majority of banks in Kenya are using Linux right now,” said Evans Ikua of the Free and Open-Source Software Foundation for Africa.

The Kenya Revenue Authority was the first public institution to implement free and open-source software in Kenya as part of its modernisation project.

Internationally, Google, Facebook, Toyota and Amazon run their office activities on open-source software.

Smaller companies are shying away from punitive measures associated with stringent counterfeit laws associated with proprietary software.

Microsoft Kenya and the Kenya Copyright Board have stepped up the fight against software piracy, raiding businesses, confiscating computers and taking legal action against offenders.