Space for all in open enterprise

Open source will be a key driver towards open standards, but this does not mean all players can`t co-exist in this space, delegates at an open enterprise conference were told yesterday.

Addressing ITWeb`s "Open enterprise: Attaining business agility" event in Bryanston, Willie Appel, keynote speaker and Meta Group executive directions international VP, said open source should not be seen as a "saviour" to businesses looking to implement open standards, but rather as a tool that levels the playing field.

"The sharing of source code is the means, not the end, of open enterprise development. I think the bottom line is that we must develop our own enterprise architecture to include the drivers for enterprise. This involves taking a view on tactical versus strategic open source implementation."

In his presentation, Appel also highlighted some of the key factors for open source in the open enterprise, adding that support from major vendors as well as independent software vendors is vital. "We must also remember that open source does not drive standards - business does.

"Just look at the Internet. Nothing really happened until around 1995, when business saw its value and it started to pick up. I predict the same will happen with open source."

Looking at the open source roll-out in the local market, Appel said companies seem to be stuck at the tactical level, and are still trying to figure out what open source can do for them.

"We have created a fairly high level of competency regarding open source, but the drive towards it is not clear. I am not so sure it is simply a cost decision, but rather a value versus risk proposition."

[VIDEO]Novell SA business solutions architect James Thomas told delegates how open standards play a key role in obtaining "business agility" - the ability for a company to quickly and efficiently respond to change, and use it for competitive advantage.

"Open standards will allow your company to optimise agility while reducing risk," he said.

The fact that there are clashes with standards at present is hardly surprising, added Thomas, as all systems are heterogeneous. "If you think your company`s systems are all the same, then you are wrong. No one vendor does everything."

People often assume that open source and open standards are the same thing, said Sun Microsystems senior systems engineer Dumisani Mtobo, even though there are a number of differentiators.

[VIDEO]While source code is always clearly visible in open source, the same is not true for open standards, said Mtobo. "Also, the very nature of open source means it is not compelled to conform to agreed conventions, while open standards must adhere strictly to set criteria."

Open enterprise will obviously require a degree of standardisation, said Mtobo, but the notion of applying standards to open source can rile a number of people. "Open source is often viewed as such a saviour, so as soon as you want to start applying any standards to it - like Sun and Linux - people automatically label this as proprietary.

"The problem here is that the word 'proprietary` has taken on many negative connotations in the media, and some people even consider it evil."

[VIDEO]Also speaking at the conference, SAP Africa Netweaver solutions manager Alvin Paules provided a SAP outlook on open standards. "We see open standards as critical to creating an open enterprise, and not just within the enterprise walls, but through the entire value chain."

However, Paules stressed that the focus should not be as much with the technology used, as with a company`s business processes.

"Whether you use open source or proprietary, it does not matter. This is the position SAP has taken according to our experience in the industry. The real value is in optimising your business processes. You need to ask: 'Does the technology matter, or is it more important to exploit the most appropriate solutions to provide you with the maximum benefit?` This is the importance of open standards."