Survey: 98 percent of enterprises using open source

Not only is open-source software thriving in systems management but across businesses as a whole, according to a new survey released Tuesday. A nearly 4-year-long survey of open-source systems management usage compiled by open-source software developer Zenoss showed that 98 percent of the respondents said they used open-source software in their enterprises.

These latest statistics, along with survey results from consulting firm Accenture, are further testament to the inevitability of the pervasiveness of open-source software.



What's important to note about the survey results is how both the perception and reality of open-source software has changed--users believe the software is now easier to deploy, that they prefer to use open source when it's available, and that the quality of code carries as much weight as the cost benefits.


All of these are of course true of any maturing software product set, but having specific data to backup open-source software advocate assertions helps to mitigate arguments suggesting open source is not ready for prime time.

Additional findings in the 2010 Open Source Systems Management Survey include:

• 71 percent of 2009 respondents indicated that open-source software was easier to deploy up from 48 percent in 2008, 38 percent in 2007, and 26 percent in 2006.
  
• 76 percent of system administrators in large enterprises indicate they prefer to use open-source software whenever possible.
  
• The No. 1 reason for not choosing open-source solutions was lack of support followed by poor documentation.
  
• Quality of Support was the No. 1 reason organizations indicated they chose proprietary management tools.
  
• 50 percent of respondents indicated that they are already using some form of cloud technology including but not limited to hosted applications, Amazon Web services, and/or hosted storage.
  
• The top IT management priorities for 2010 where monitoring, configuration management, patching and provisioning, and security.
  

Also interesting to note is that the No. 1 reason for avoiding open source (a lack of support and quality documentation) is precisely why there are business opportunities for individuals and companies with the expertise in open-source projects.


For more information, download the full report.

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