The adoption of open source software by Singaporean companies

Based on collaboration rather than competition, Open Source Software provides a new dynamic in the development and use of software systems. As such it has the potential to make a significant legal, social and economic impact on the industry. While its origins trace back to the start of the software industry, the recent success of the Linux operation system, Apache web server or the Mozilla Firefox Internet Browser provide impetus to the growth of interest in this movement. However, while a number of studies have been conducted on its development, few have provided empirical evidence of its adoption within the South East Asian context. This study aims to investigate factors leading to the adoption of Open Source Software in Singaporean Organisations. The research has found that the adoption of Open Source Software is driven by the perception of a cost advantage. The organisations interviewed have acknowledged cost as being one of their biggest concerns and top priorities. While costs were stated to be of major concern to the organisations, objective measures of cost such as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Return on Investment (ROI) were rarely used by the organisations studied. This perception of cost saving is found to be led by industry sources such as publications, conferences and websites. The next significant finding is the need for increased open source software skills in the industry. One of the major drivers of Open Source Software Adoption in the organisations is that they posses pre-existing skills in Open Source Software use. This enables them to better mitigate risk and to lower their training costs. The final principal finding is that Open Source Software appears to be used mainly in systems infrastructure applications. Organisations reported a large degree of satisfaction including increased stability, scalability and cost effectiveness. Issues remain with Open Source Software’s manageability, its quality of support and ease of use.