Many firms that had previously been reluctant to use open source (i.e., free) software have changed their minds. So what’s different now?
For one thing, open source has evolved. Improvements in the actual software has led to a significant spike in businesses using open source.
In fact, 98% of firms use some type of open source software, according to a study conducted by Zenoss, Inc., at the annual USENIX Large Installation System Administration conference.
The top reason companies gave for using open source software: Seventy-one percent of the survey respondents said open source apps were easier to adopt than proprietary software.
That’s a huge increase from the 26% of companies who said the same thing back in 2006.
Of course, cost did play a huge factor: 57% of employers listed price as their main reason for using open source software.
With more of your peers switching over to (and being satisfied with) open source software, you may want to talk with IT and see if it’s right for you.
