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Open source suits Africa

Michelle Avenant
By Michelle Avenant, portals journalist.
Johannesburg, 04 Aug 2015
SA is adopting open source tech at a healthy rate, says Brendan McErlain of Red Hat.
SA is adopting open source tech at a healthy rate, says Brendan McErlain of Red Hat.

Open source technology could promote economic growth in Africa, according to Brendan McErlain, MD for EMEA at Red Hat.

"Open source suits the African market exceptionally well because you can just access it and start using it," says McErlain.

"We are seeing a very healthy adoption of open source technology in South Africa," he continues, stating that both government and private institutions are beginning to see value in the flexibility of open source software, which gives users access to its source code, and thus the ability to adapt it freely to one's unique purposes.

Because open source software does not have licensing costs, using it could save companies money, adds Clinton Bruigom, director and principal consultant at OSCOSM. Although open source software is not necessarily easier to customise than traditional software so much as it makes this adaptability available in ways traditional software does not, he notes.

Currently, the adoption of open source software is hampered by misinformation, says McErlain. "Sometimes it is the perception that 'open' means insecure, which is not the case," he explains. "I think it's a model not everybody fully understands yet," adds Bruigom.

Skills gaps present another hurdle, as implementing open source solutions requires sets of software and adaptation skills, says Bruigom. "The demand for open source skills and experience in South Africa is very high," notes McErlain.

Traditional software vendor lock-in is another key issue, McErlain adds.

Yet McErlain believes the variation potential of open source solutions will see them continue to grow in an IT space increasingly demanding constant innovation. "It is not a matter of if you should consider open source, but when you will start adopting it," he elaborates. "Organisations today need to develop an open source strategy for their business, otherwise they will get left behind by newer, more innovative companies."

Already, open source challenges traditional IT vendors and their licensing and training models, which have not developed and reinvented themselves in the way open source has, McErlain says.

While not all organisations are deciding open source solutions are best suited to them, an increasing number are growing aware of the potential financial savings and flexibility benefits of running open source, concludes Bruigom.

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