Working with Open Source Software Vendors

"IBM executive Bob Sutor had a message for attendees at the Open Source Business Conference (OSBC) in San Francisco last week: "Ask the hard questions."

"Sutor, despite himself being an open source software enthusiast (his full title is vice president of Open Source and Linux in IBM's Software group) said, compared to traditional software vendors, too many companies give open source a pass when it comes to due diligence and scrutiny. And while he said open source has matured quite a bit to where it's now a proven enterprise asset, that doesn't mean it should get a rubber-stamp approval.

""Is software good just because it's open source?" said Sutor. "Just because there are no bugs, that's not enough ... Security, performance and availability concerns do not vanish when you buy open source. Ask the hard questions or you will regret it."

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