Businesses are more seriously considering open source for all layers of the software stack.
By Ron Exler
Open source is assessed for more than half of businesses software acquisitions, according to Saugatuck Technology, a research and consulting firm. A CIO.com survey conducted in April showed that 53 percent of respondents were already using open-source applications in their enterprises and that 44 percent considered open-source applications equally during acquisition processes with proprietary applications. While this may surprise some, most businesses no longer carry the negative perceptions once associated with open-source solutions. The software is in use in some of the world's largest corporations and governments, in some of the most intensive application environments.