TY - JOUR T1 - The Need for F/LOSS (Governance) Operations JF - Open Source Business Resource Y1 - 2008 A1 - Andrew Back AB - The case for the effective operation of Free/Libre and Open Source Software (F/LOSS) in the enterprise has never been stronger. Yet in some quarters, the chasm between senior management's perception of the penetration of F/LOSS within their organization, and the reality, has never been wider. And when you consider that Gartner predicts that "by 2012 more than 90% of enterprises will use open source in direct or embedded form", this suggests that the development of an effective F/LOSS policy will become increasingly necessary for business operations. Many enterprises, for now, are sourcing the majority of their F/LOSS solutions via a vendor. This does not remove the need for governance. Even with commercial arrangements in place, it is crucial that business have an understanding of F/LOSS communities: what drives them, how to interact with them, and what obligations they may have to them. The game has changed and innovation is no longer the reserve of software vendors with large development budgets. Software development is now enabled by open licenses that afford great freedoms and, in doing so, facilitate widespread collaboration. With this unprecedented pace of innovation, comes new obligations. We argue that the need for education around F/LOSS communities and licensing is clear. PB - Talent First Network CY - Ottawa UR - http://timreview.ca/article/167 IS - July 2008 U1 - Osmosoft During his tenure at BT he has been responsible for driving strategy for the effective adoption of open source technology and principles across all lines of business, and the creation of BT Design's Open Source Focus Group. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and a Chartered Member of the British Computer Society. ER -