Leverage of Open Source
Open source software includes source code and is usually available free from license fees.
The maturity, features and operational stability of some open source software is comparable to (and sometimes exceeds) commercial software packages with licenses which can often run into tens of thousands of pounds per CPU.
Our engineers and analysts regularly monitor and contribute to the open source community, evaluating software that we can use alongside our own when providing solutions to our clients. The cost savings can often be substantial.
An example is the use of open source databases in some of our projects. Our experience has proven that such databases (notably PostgreSQL) offer performance and stability easily coping with our clients requirements, removing substantial license costs when compared to a solution delivered using Microsoft or Oracle technology.
Other areas in which we leverage open source contributions include CRM, ERP and Business Intelligence/Data Warehousing solutions.