Open Source software is something that you might not have heard of before. Open Source literally means that the source code is available to edit and extend. A lot of Open Source software is released under a license which means that it’s freely available to download, install and use (although there are many versions of licence – so it’s worth checking the detail).

The advantages of Open Source software are pretty obvious. The software is free – and with a little expertise you can use it straight away, and with a little more expertise you can change the way it works to suit you. Many of the Content Managed sites that we build are based on Open Source systems, which means that the client doesn’t need to spend hundreds of pounds on a commercial system, and only pays for our time to set it up, and design & build the site.

There are however some disadvantages, and how much this affects you will depend on the nature of your business, the use you have for the application, and your outlook. Open Source software tends not to have detailed documentation (although there are exceptions) so you may need to work out how to use it with some trial and error. There are usually however thriving communities on the internet who will help out newbie’s. Open Source software is generally produced by a community of developers, and becasue of this there may be quite frequent version releases. This can be positive because your application will get new features and bug fixes, but if you don’t have the expertise to do the upgrades yourself, you may need to pay someone to do it for you.

So, what can Open Source do for your business? Well, there are web applications out there that deal with a number of business problems, including Website Content Management (CMS), Customer Resource Management (CRM), Human Resource Management (HRM), Online Forums, Blogs, Project Management, Collaboration Software, Image Galleries, Document Management, and more!

So, if you fancy trying out a free alternative before investing in costly commercial software, get in touch to see what we can do.

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