Open Source
The application of open source software in IT enviroments of organisations has become quite a normal thing nowadays. In particular with the Eclipse project, open source has made its way into commercial software development. Consequently, it is not surprising that companies are now looking for open source solutions for tools with a deep involvement into the process landscape. At least from the perspecive of the purchase department, the application of open source software is undoubtfull one possibility for cost reduction.
Hence, organisations rightly ask the question whether the use of open source tools might really be a means for cost reduction in software development. It is evident that for a realistic cost calculation, not only the pure purchase price needs to be taken into account. In fact, license costs are only a fraction of the overall costs. Additional costs are generated by trainings, methodological and technical support, additional operational expenses and last but not least for customizing efforts, e.g. for the creation and maintenance of required extensions or interfaces.
The question of the use of open source software is - as it is for every other software product as well - tightly related to the complexity of the software development system and - of course - with the tools features and scaleability.
argumentum helps you with an individual analysis of your needs and protects you against unnecessary invests in complex tool landscapes on the one hand and against expensive surprises on the other hand, due to savings made in the wrong places.
