“Open-source software is software that can be freely used, changed, and shared in modified or unmodified form by anyone. Open-source software is made by many people and distributed under licenses that comply with the open-source definition.”

Basically, you can inherit the code base of any project and do what you want with it — and this is the big thing — as long as you also then release whatever derivative you do or come up with, with the same license. One of the things we agree on is the give-and-take mentality that typically comes with an open-source community.

New open specifications make it easy to build upon old material with new functionality as such technologies evolve. This enables the creation of new and innovative operability that meets specific business needs. Open thinking operates at multiple levels within the open source community. It’s a large and passionate society that enables open collaboration and sharing, which results in added value to existing products and creates new ones.

Anyone can freely use, change, and share open source software in modified or unmodified form. While companies working in commercial open source add value by turning what may appear as raw material to other enterprises into whole products. Embracing an open source mindset is an invitation for innovation, and enables organisations to break free from proprietary vendors. In today’s digital age, agile and flexible organisations are gaining a competitive edge, continually learning, adopting, and re-engineering to constantly evolve the business. Whether your organisation is just dipping its toes in digital transformation, or your business is well on its way to streamlining process, content and governance services, open source is an essential consideration. And an open architecture enables the development of new and compelling business solutions that are adaptable to whatever the future may hold.