Why Open Source Software is Good for Business
Transparent Technology is a Must for Cybersecurity
Many people still believe the myth that proprietary software, or software that is owned by an individual or a company, is more valuable than the alternative — open source software. However, there are almost always significant restrictions on proprietary software use, and its source code is almost always kept secret.
But with open source software, anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance the source code. This means there is a level of transparency with open source that you won’t get with proprietary software — which is why many businesses are starting to switch over to open source.
The Open Source Community
With open source, the communities and the companies live symbiotically: they depend on each other. The community project would not exist without the company funding crucial parts of the code and infrastructure. On the other hand, the company receives valuable input and real improvements because the community continuously shares new ideas to help solve new challenges. Everyone benefits and grows.
“Open source software is a great business model when adopted by the industry — and it’s a powerful tool to enable developers to collaborate.” -Francis Dinha, CEO of OpenVPN
Over the past year, more and more software companies have started adopting the use of open source technology, and it has been identified as a successful business model. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that it brings transparency, encourages innovation, and improves the work environment.
Increased Security and Transparency
It may come as a surprise to some to hear that open source software is more secure than any closed software since it is open to researchers, businesses, and users to review. Because the software has a community that is looking to address bugs and security vulnerabilities, it allows security concerns to be addressed quickly. The nature of the software also allows third-party and independent entities to audit and test the software for vulnerabilities.
Encourages Innovation
Open source communities working together share a passion for a project; they help to improve it to reach new heights and broader use. These communities are a vast ecosystem of innovators who are no longer competing for limited resources — but are instead sharing knowledge with others to create new resources and opportunities so that anyone can benefit from these resources.
Improves Work Environment
In open source communities, discussions might be more technical and direct. There are little to no hierarchies and people often state their opinion in a very direct way. Community members who value an idea or solution may spend time helping out another member with that idea to improve it further. Getting such feedback is very seldom intended as a disagreement or disapproval — rather, it’s a sign of appreciation for the suggestion. This all starts through sharing.
Open Source Software is a Must for Cybersecurity
Open source software provides a wide array of solutions to today’s real-world problems. The software allows innovative solutions to be brought to issues relating to cybersecurity, private access, scaling databases, scaling cloud infrastructure, software management, and provisioning, among others.
OpenVPN is the provider of next-generation secure and scalable communication services — and began as an open-source project in 2002. Following the success of that project, Francis Dinha and James Yonan co-founded OpenVPN Inc. to build a solid foundation that further developed its commercial potential — which is where OpenVPN Access Server comes in.
OpenVPN Access Server is an award-winning VPN server that provides virtual network connectivity to cross-platform OpenVPN Connect and other OpenVPN protocol compatible VPN clients. Access Server provides enterprise management capabilities, simplified Administration and OpenVPN Connect UI, and OpenVPN Client software for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows.
