Open Source – Company – Programmer
Open Source is nowadays a new and developed way of work that goes beyond software production. As such, in this months’ article, we will discuss the benefits of this type of work for your company.
As the name suggests, Open Source is essentially “open” (free) code. It is made up of code written with the purpose of being accessed freely by programmers other than its creator, allowing for anyone to be able to read it, to modify it and to distribute it as they see fit. The Open Source model can then be employed to develop community scoped projects with the software being shared, since its decentralized model allows the use of flexible values when it comes to software production, contributing to the discovery of innovating ways to solve problems within various communities and sectors.
The software is developed in a collaborative and decentralized fashion, allowing for the source code to be modified by IT specialists so that, whenever it is needed, these professionals can adapt the program’s functions in order to make it more aligned with their (or their company’s) specific needs.
In fact, the development of applications as Open Source presents numerous advantages for your company. Want to know which ones?
- Accessibility: Open source software is more accessible when we consider their easier and more flexible coding. This characteristic facilitates, for example, the work of an IT Manager that is empowered to notice any difficulties and address them by rapidly collecting user feedback and schedule improvements.
- Security: With open source software, the company’s IT team will have access to all system code. Thus, a regular review can be carried out and confirm that the system has not been invaded by viruses or that malicious objects are hidden in the program, for example. On the other hand, this feature also allows the system to be constantly monitored and possible failures to be updated in order to reduce the vulnerability of the software.
- Cost reduction: Open Source software represents a significant cost reduction for companies, considering that open source systems have licenses with low charges (and even some that are free like the creative commons licences).
- Personalization: With this type of code, companies are free to customize the software according to their own preferences and needs, from the layout and colors to the system’s own functions. On the other hand, this feature also facilitates a situation in which the program needs to be updated since this can be done by the IT team, the company, or even the open source community, eliminating the need to purchase a license with a new version made by the initial developers, or any other licensed solution.
- Interoperability: Software of this type is also generally more adaptable to open standards and other tools. On the other hand, there is even greater ease in adapting to other programs, users or computers. In addition, in specific cases, IT professionals can even make the necessary adjustments to the code to ensure the interoperability of the program with the rest of the company’s systems.
Among the main characteristics that make Open Source systems a bet to consider for your company, is the fact that they enable greater speed and efficiency in the creation and adaptation of services and products. Their applicability is wide. Each company can use Open Source systems in the most convenient way for its reality and make the necessary changes and improvements, facilitating the work of its IT Team that can make the changes directly and is not dependent on the initial team of developers that developed the system.
Now, considering this greater speed and efficiency in the creation and adaptation of the systems, we are sure that your IT Team will be satisfied with the adoption of this type of systems, much more accessible and flexible.
After reading this article, we are sure that doubts about the benefits of adopting this system are null. At Simdea we also develop Open Source applications. We can create software for you, built with programming code and a free product license so that the application can be modified and distributed to any user, without legal consequences. What are you waiting for? Get in touch with us!