Free things are awesome. Who doesn’t want a free shirt or free tickets to a concert? What about free business software?
One of the most attractive features of open source software is the price tag. It’s available to download at no cost and with very few restrictions. However, open source software is often described as “free, as in a free puppy.”
While the initial price tag is zero, your company will incur expenses for training employees and customizing and maintaining the software. A good question to ask yourself is whether you will need on-site personnel devoted to the software. If your business can handle customization and maintenance in-house, estimate the costs in terms of work hours it will demand of your employees. It is often much higher than your typical commercial product.
When it comes to customer support, you are likely on your own. For large businesses this may not be an issue, but for businesses without in-house technical support, small technical problems can potentially turn into costly mistakes. Furthermore, with many developers working on one project, you may get several different responses and recommendations for the same question.
While you will not pay for renewed licenses every year, you may eventually need to pay for outside assistance with software maintenance or updates. Some open source software solutions do offer paid subscriptions for access to updates and support services. If it seems likely that you will need to subscribe to this service, these estimates should be considered in your cost analysis.
Depending on your business’s technical expertise and the software’s function, lack of a centralized support system could be a deal breaker. This is particularly true if the software performs a critical function. If something goes wrong you may be able to find an answer, but you will not be able to hold the vendor accountable for any losses incurred.
And of course free does not automatically mean that the software is a good fit. If your short list has both open source and proprietary software solutions, make sure your specific business needs are the most important part of your final comparison. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of a “free” option, but as we all know (but sometimes forget), hype and excitement are not the foundations of smart business decisions. An open source solution may be the right choice for your business, but don’t base your decision on the belief that it is free.
Comments (1)
A major allure to open source software is being able to heavily customize that software. Maybe the open source is free, but the custom development that usually goes with it certainly is not.