Praxis Computing, in partnership with RedHat, will be hosting the 'Enterprise Open Source - Meet the Stack' conference at the beginning of October.
"During the conference, we hope to show enterprises and small businesses that there are viable alternative enterprise open source solutions to the proprietary ones many companies are used to buying into," says Lisa Herbert, Executive at Praxis Computing.
Praxis Computing has been in operation for the past 20 years, and is able to offer businesses of all sizes solutions that are developed and fine-tuned for their individual needs. "No two business' needs are the same, and so our software solutions and network infrastructure is built around what best suits the company," she says.
"When we first started out, we were predominantly providing proprietary solutions for companies, but we found that many of our developers were working on open source projects in their own time. We then decided to shift our focus to incorporate these open source solutions, and found many of our clients open to the idea of alternative programs," continues Herbert.
Currently, a lot of the Praxis Computing business is focused around enterprise open source solutions, but its team still offers proprietary solutions. "Many businesses still enjoy buying into a brand that they have come to know over the years, and so with this in mind, we are able to take a hybrid approach and formulate solutions that incorporate both open source and proprietary options," Herbert says. Furthermore, their solutions can be designed to work alongside a company's current systems, and in many cases, streamline existing business processes.
Why enterprise open source?
"A company running proprietary software would need to purchase licences for each instance a certain program is running," comments Herbert. If a company expands, additional licences would need to be bought, and should it not use all the licences, it will still pay for them. The company will only be able to cut back on its number of licences when the contract with its software vendor comes up for renewal.
On the other hand, enterprise open source software offers the benefit of no complicated agreements and contracts. It works on the model that a company simply pays for what it uses. An enterprise using open source software is also not obligated to purchase any additional software form that vendor, and can add applications from other open source vendors without having to worry about issues such as contract breaches.
In addition, should a company opt for a Red Hat subscription, it will receive both the binary and source code, allowing it to make changes to suit its needs. If the code is unaltered, certifications will be sent with the product, giving the company peace of mind that the software and hardware solutions deployed are certified by Red Hat.
Should the customer opt for regular updates and enhancements, they will be sent with subscriptions such as Red Hat. This ensures they will always be running the latest software version and will have access to the newest hardware drivers. This is, however, completely up to the customer and they are not forced to install anything they deem unnecessary.
Enterprise clients will also gain access to the Red Hat network, where enhanced paid-for modules will provide clients with system management capabilities for enterprise deployments.
One of the major benefits of taking part in an enterprise open source subscription is the support. Depending on the licence bought, Red Hat offers three support packages, namely: self-support, basic and premium, with premium offering service 24 hours a day.
"The above advantages are only the tip of the enterprise open source iceberg," says Herbert. "Companies that have gone with enterprise open source solutions quickly see the benefits, as the solutions are able to adapt perfectly to their needs," she concludes.
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