Don't believe the hype

Open source benefits from open development, open standards and freedom of code. But when it comes to enterprise-level support, there is a requirement for dedicated and certified support that takes open source support to the next level.

While some vendors may claim support for open source that is 'just as good' as others, these claims must be backed with the relevant paperwork. As customers, some homework is required in picking the right vendor to go with.

The freeness and arising power for open source is vested with the development community. Open code means large development communities with members situated all over the world. This, in turn, means that software is developed quicker and with greater collaboration. It also means that all bases are usually covered from a development perspective. But the advantages of open source's 'free approach' begin to fade once the developed product reaches an enterprise market.

One could use the analogy of cars in describing this. You have certified dealers with original parts and trained mechanics, but you pay for that. You can pay a backyard mechanic with non-certified parts and little specific training to maintain your car, but while it may seem like you're getting the same work done just for cheaper, this is not true.

Customers should be just as wary of vendors in the market who claim the same levels of support for products at cheaper prices than the official local representatives of those products. These claims are no different from those of backyard mechanics.

Enterprise customers do not mind paying for support and do not expect to get things for free, but they must be ensured they are getting what they are paying for.

A sign of a competent open source vendor is one that involves itself in the development community.

Muggie van Staden is MD of Obsidian Systems.

Money can also be wasted with vendors who supply solutions that 'should work' as opposed to those with hardware-certified products. This is one of the first things that should be researched: is the company's product hardware-certified with the relevant vendors and vice versa?

Top Linux distributions will offer a range of hardware that they are certified to run on; likewise, the hardware vendor will provide certification for the products' capabilities with their platform. This form of certification can be banked on from two parties.

A local support partner should also be certified to supply support for a particular product. If no official certification is held by the support partner, then one must question why. This should immediately raise a red flag with customers; if you're offering support for a particular product, why aren't they certified? Having official support partners also bodes well for vendors who obviously have their priorities straight.

Another sign of a competent open source vendor is one that involves itself in the development community. Open source vendors are making profit off of the hard work of a dedicated team of developers who initiate projects in their own spare time, usually. The onus is therefore on them to plough back into the community that enables their business.

This also displays a deep commitment to and understanding of their product set. They are not merely leeching and customising bespoke developments, but taking a direct stake in the ongoing development of that particular project to the benefit of the community, the vendor and, ultimately, their customers.

It also means that if the vendor claims that they can get the community behind their business that there is some muscle to that statement.

Customers should also be wary of traditionally proprietary vendors who claim to supply the same levels of service in open source software. There are already powerful and natively open source vendors at play in the market - why would a traditionally proprietary vendor be in any place to compete?

And, finally, customers should be aware of the difference between 'certified' and 'ready'. Claiming to be ready for a product is akin to saying 'it may work'. Only full certification delivers any form of guarantee in this regard.

If one is meticulous in conducting this research, it will be found that many major vendors are surprisingly lacking in areas of open source support and certification. For this reason a vendor can not be trusted based on size; enterprise customers must take it upon themselves to research claims, look beyond the vendor and analyse their true capabilities.