Escape hatches for IT solutions: sustainable Open-Source to the rescue.
Often times customers are reporting the need for modification of their IT processes or structures. They have to extend their capabilities to meet demand. This means they need to modify how they work and with what they work, IT-wise. So far, so good. That’s just how it is.
But there’s a catch.
They bought into what they were made to believe is “the best” solution for them. Maybe this is kind of true in the moment. However, more often than not this can prove to be fatal in the long run. Over time this is locking them in to a specific solution and possibly also in a particular vendor.
At a later stage, change imposes itself and it is crucial to the customers’ success to be able to go with that change. In this age, this will usually mean the customer’s IT has to change. And as customers buy “the best” solution at the time, they buy into a salesman’s best and closed solution, following his KYC (Keep Your Customer) mantra.
While closed IT solutions aren’t known for being the most budget ones, they are all the more very likely to impede any change a customer needs to commit to in order to stay successful. Closed solutions lock the customer into a specific solution and specifically will not guarantee a customer the ability to stay agile, to go with what change will come (which eventually will happen). On the contrary, closed IT solutions will render a customer dependent on that
- the business which created this closed IT solution stays in the market long enough
- it is willing to accomodate the customers need for change in their IT solutions and
- this business that the customer bought an IT solution off can be made to implement specific modifications (and can be paid, in that it is economically viable for the customer).
Big solutions from big software enterprises will require big investments. In any case, closed IT solutions’ modifications will have to be paid for at some point, whether it’s a change to accomodate individual requirements or a change to reflect an update in some standards’ procedure which will potentially benefit all customers.
Then again, the customer won’t know whether a generalized modification for a wide audience will suit her particular individual needs. In the one case where the customer has this big enterprise adapt it’s software solution to her specific requirements, her investment will be even bigger.
So, instead of just looking at the momentary needs and cost, it seems very wise to look ahead. Even if the exact future requirements for IT solutions aren’t conceivable today, it is crucial to keep the escape hatch open: This is one reason why Open-Source IT solutions are so compelling.
Open-Source is sustainable, the customer gets to keep her ability to change. Open-Source software enables everyone to solicit change, particularly as Open-Source software
- stays in business by definition (source code available)
- is modifiyable by definition (source code editable) and
- literally everyone can realise the change (also by definition and given the knowledge, keep reading).
So, even if a customer has no capacity to change the Open-Source IT solution herself, there’s always the possibility to ask competent partners for support to realize modifications to fit the requirements to her IT solutions.
TL;DR: Customers be smart, don’t lock yourself in, keep your IT solution escape hatch open: deploy sustainable Open-Source software solutions.
Now, we haven’t even talked about software security yet, have we?