Forum Series to Focus on Open Source Software Technology

March 12, 2007; 08:35 AM
The Center for Strategic Information Technology and Security, a Minnesota State Colleges and Universities "Center of Excellence," announced today that they will offer a four-part forum series for the first time this March through June 2007. The series aims to help senior level executives and IS leaders at organizations in the Twin Cities metro area map out an effective strategy to leverage open source software solutions in their enterprise. The “Trusted Adoption of Open Source for the Enterprise” (TAOSE) Forum Series will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 23, April 27, May 18, and June 22, in Whitney Hall at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

This new open source model -- collaboratively developed software created by corporations, academic institutions and individuals -- allows businesses to modify the source code to meet their specific IT needs. Open source is now entering the mainstream, according to technology think tank Gartner, and is used by the top 20 firms on Wall Street. In his new book, The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman identifies open source software as one of the ten factors that will quietly revolutionize the global marketplace. That’s because Oracle now offers support services for Linux, and Microsoft and Novel have partnered to develop solutions to make it easier to run both Windows and Linux in an organizational environment. Open source interoperability allows it to run in a blended environment with commercial software.

“Many forward thinking organizations are adopting open source solutions,” according to Bruce Lindberg, executive director, Center for Strategic Information Technology and Security, which is sponsoring the event. “We want the business community to understand the many benefits of open source including lower cost of acquisition and operation, reliability and performance, security, ease of deployment and freedom from platform lock-in and forced upgrade schedules. Despite this, most organizations do not have a strategy for open source,” explained Lindberg.

The series, developed in conjunction with The Open Source Technology Alliance (TOSTA), features industry experts discussing how to make open source productive immediately. Each seminar includes a state-of-the-market introduction, presentation of open source solutions and case studies, challenges, discussion of key issues and networking. The first Forum session on March 23 will focus on “Open Source Stack and Support” and feature a presentation by Terry Keiffer of Unisys.

“When programmers can read, redistribute, and modify the source code for software, the software evolves. People improve it, people adapt it, people fix bugs…and it can happen quickly compared to the slow pace of conventional software development,” said Ron Fresquez, CEO, TOSTA. “Code is constantly being added and everyone has access to it. Also, there are no forced software upgrades like there are with most proprietary software.”

Open source software solutions and services have evolved to a point where they meet — and often exceed — the demanding requirements of industry-leading enterprises. “Most of these organizations are adopting open source in a blended environment, where open source is mixed with proprietary technologies,” notes Lindberg. “Companies that wish to use open source code must have a clear understanding of the applicable business and legal principles to make an informed decision and guard against potential risks. The bottom line: if you’re going to use open source, you need to develop a strategy.”

Forum Series schedule and topics

• March 23 – Open Source “Stack” & Support
• April 27 – Operating Systems
• May 18 – Open Source Databases
• June 22 – Open Source Middleware

To register for the Forum Series, call 612-659-7230 or visit www.strategicIT.org/taose.html.

The Center for Strategic Information Technology and Security (www.strategicIT.org), a Minnesota State Colleges and Universities "Center of Excellence," provides education, training and applied research to support the strategy, technology and security of information and communication systems. The Center is comprised of three higher education partners: Metropolitan Sate University, Inver Hills Community College, and Minneapolis Community and Technical College, which provide an array of affiliated programs and resources in information technology.

TOSTA (www.tosta.org) is a chapter/member-based educational and collaborative exchange for private and public sector organizations and educational institutions, whose mission is to further the knowledge and understanding of open source software. TOSTA provides consulting, technical resources, risk management, education and compliance services to organizations that currently use, or plan to use, open source solutions.