Open source solutions are the solutions made publically available to use and modify without any licensing fee. Each industry, from telecom to web development, has its own open source platforms to benefit businesses. These open source solutions are in the veins of many leading companies and contributing in their growth. Of course, the open source may have some limitations, but even the proprietary solutions have their own sort of limitations. On the other hand, the open source solutions bestow a plethora of benefits which are unavailable with the commercial solutions. In this article I will share 10 must know major benefits of the open source solutions for enterprises.
Major benefits of the open source solutions for enterprises.
Cost effective
The open source solutions are absolutely free to use. The code of the open source solution is available for free in the public interest and you can make all required changes in the code to customize the platform to meet your requirements. You don’t need to pay any price to get a license to use the open source software or to retain the service. If you want an expert to install, configure and maintain the solution, then the only price you need to pay is the service charges of the expert to benefit you with expert services. Furthermore, the open source solutions let you enjoy competitive rates as you have many options to go for.
Total Control
The open source solution gives complete control on the solution and the platform. You are the decision maker about the features and functionality unlike proprietary solutions in which you are dependent on the vendor to add certain features that are required to take your business to the next level.
White label Solution
The open source solution gives the white label functionality by default which is necessary to assure your customers are exposed to your brand only. Some open source solutions such as, ASTPP: Open Source Billing Software lets you add your branding elements with an easy to use GUI based admin panel and some open source solutions will need you to make changes at code level. In both cases, you don’t need to pay high amount to get the white label solution unlike commercial software in which you have to pay a significant amount to get a white label solution.
No Vendor Lock-in
When you buy proprietary software, you don’t get the code of that solution; getting the code can be an expensive affair. Thus, you are always dependent on your vendor even to make a small change which needs changes at code level. You wouldn’t be able to switch the vendor until and unless you buy another solution. This makes you highly dependent on your vendor in many ways which can be a roadblock to grow sometimes.
Easy Licensing Process
I would rather say easiest licensing process because there is no exclusive licensing process involved. The open source gives you rights to install, use and modify the platform as per your requirements. You can install the solution multiple times on multiple servers / locations. There is no exclusive license to be acquired or paid for. This benefit is not available with commercial solutions. You have to pay license cost and each license comes with its own terms and conditions. For example, single server license restricts you from installing the same solution on any other server.
Unlimited Use
When you get a proprietary solution, it comes with clear restrictions on the number of seats. You need to pay more to get more seats / users. This is not the case with the open source solution. It gives you unlimited access and usage permission. You can grow leaps and bounds without worrying about any additional fee or possible restrictions.
Bountiful Support
A majority of open source solutions is managed and maintained by large organizations, plus there is a huge active community that is contributing continuously in the community to make the solution better and stronger. At any moment, if you get stuck at any point with anything, all you need to do is ask for support to the community and you will get bountiful support for free.
Complete Transparency
You might be hearing news of companies getting bankrupt overnight or whole module is changed or sudden hike in the prices of the solution / support for a product. All these sudden intricacies are unavoidable when you are using the proprietary solution. You don’t have any control on it and often unaware of the things happening in the company of your vendor that can hamper your business in some way. This is not the case while you use an open source solution. You will be updated with all ongoing things. You will also have a huge community to take care of the intricacies that lets you focus on your business.
Proven Reliability
The open source solutions often get popular because of its proven benefits for various companies and enterprises. You are not at all tricked by any smart salesperson. You can rely on the efficiency of work when you use the open source solutions and can easily vouch for it.
Reduced Time-to-Market
The open source software often provides the required base to the companies to build bigger and better solution. You don’t need to develop a platform from the scratch. All you need to do is build custom modules on top of the open source software. This actually saves a lot of time and money. This reduces the development cycle and you can hit the market sooner.
These are the top 10 key benefits you will find with any open source solution. You can strengthen your business model and empower your growth by reducing cost, improving productivity and hitting market earlier by using the open source solution.
We represent one of the renowned open source solutions: ASTPP: FreeSWITCH Billing Software. ASTPP is empowering many enterprises and businesses. Know more about ASTPP and feel free to join the most proactive open source community.
