Open source offers tons of advantages from affordability to speed, flexibility to customization options, integrated management, to top-of-the-line support. That is the reason why open-source technologies have slowly gained popularity and gained wider adoption across industries.
In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape where more and more businesses are jumping on the cloud bandwagon to manage their workloads, does open source still, has its place? In an age where businesses are using the cloud for app development, does open source still, makes sense? If you are looking for answers to these questions then, you are at the right place.
In this article, you will learn about seven reasons why open source is important for cloud development.
1. No Vendor Lock-Ins
Vendor lock-ins are one of the biggest problems most businesses have to face when they embrace cloud as most cloud providers adopt this strategy to hook customers in. Once you get in, there is no way to get out for years. This can severely limit your options and prevent you from taking advantage of opportunities that come your way. That is where adopting open source technologies can come in handy.
One of the biggest advantages of open source technologies is that it does not restrict you to a single cloud provider or limit you to their cloud environment. Since open-source technologies are platform-neutral, you can easily integrate your existing infrastructure and enjoy scalability and extensibility. It gives you more freedom to create your own applications and extensions which perfectly fit your business needs. Open-source technologies also encourage interoperability and openness, which give you more room for experimentation.
2. Openness
According to a survey, 95% of IT leaders thought that open source projects are strategically important for their organization’s software strategy. Did you know why? Because of its open nature. Previously, the same space is ruled by the proprietary software as most businesses tend to prefer those, especially for their infrastructure-level software services. Things are changing rapidly as more and more businesses are inclining towards Linux. Most businesses are already convinced that open source technologies are the right way to go when it comes to system software whether it is your operating system or database.
3. Innovation
The pace at which technology is evolving forces businesses to adopt a solution that can keep pace with that change. That is where open source technologies and community truly shine. When you are working on an open-source project, you are literally using your resources to benefit the community and work together with other members even if they are your competitors to solve the biggest problems in your industry. This not only paves the way for more innovative solutions but it also accelerates the cycle. Due to this, you will be able to produce more innovative products and solutions in a smaller amount of time.
4. Transparency
One of the biggest misconceptions about open source projects is they fall short when it comes to transparency. That is not true. Just because it is an open-source project does not mean that it is not transparent or scrutinized. Since there is a strong community behind those projects, they will constantly monitor for performance and security issues and fix these issues as soon as possible. This increases confidence in deployed systems and ensures business continuity with high availability.
5. Positive Impact On Business
According to a survey I referred to earlier in the article, 77% of IT leaders said that they are planning to ramp up their adoption of open source in the next 12 months. Did you know why? Due to the lower cost. When you acquire an open-source product, you don’t have to pay the expensive licensing fees. Moreover, the support and maintenance cost is also lower than traditional software solutions. Open-source software has a broad and diverse user base as well as community members which also helps in quickly identifying security and performance issues and fixing them. This reduces the cost and time required to fix those shortcomings. Making enhancements is also easier as they are usually supported and provided by contributors.
Thanks to their open-source nature and access to the latest technology, open-source technologies tend to fare far better when it comes to the pace of innovation as compared to cloud vendors. This can give your business a competitive advantage. That is the reason why most businesses are making open source technologies and software an integral part of their enterprise technology portfolio.
6. Compatibility
Another advantage of adopting an open-source technology is that it gives you a unified platform that is compatible with other cloud environments. This helps businesses that adopt a hybrid cloud setup to ensure continuous delivery. Unlike traditional solutions which are mainly focused on vendor needs, open-source solutions can be tweaked to suit your specific business needs.
Once the vendor lock-ins are thrown out of the window, you don’t have to worry about slow obsolescence. This direct consequence of this is that your open source solution is not only backward compatible but also supports a wide range of cloud solutions. Even if your application layer is running on a virtual machine or inside a container for security reason, a mobile app development company can still ensure continuous integration and delivery through a multi-cloud environment. This compatibility can come in handy when you have to handle complex scenarios that require connecting workloads in different clouds.
7. Control
Did you know that 87% of enterprises were pursuing a hybrid cloud strategy? With most businesses adopting hybrid or multi-cloud setups, Delivering exceptional results in a multi-cloud environment is a daunting challenge, open-source technology is an ideal solution that can help businesses overcome these challenges. Previously, developer tools are only limited to the cloud but that has changed with growing hybrid cloud functionality. This has given businesses more flexibility as their app developers can work with a vast majority of your tools. With a larger pool of tools to choose from, it is much easier to find a tool that you are looking for.
Do you use open source software and technologies for cloud development? Share it with us in the comments section below.
Author Bio
Irfan Ak is an experienced digital & content marketing strategist at Branex. He is a regular contributor on various websites. He has worked with several brands and created value for them.