Free Open Source Software

Free open source software is the next phase in improving the way software is developed and distributed. Historically, organisations purchased a software license from a single proprietary software company, restricting the use of this software to a single or a number of computers. This software is termed closed source preventing organisations making changes or improving the software.

Open source software does not have such restrictions and is produced by a large community of software companies, hardware corporations and independent software developers who come together and jointly develop software applications. Not only is this software available to be used by anyone on any number of computers for free but also regularly updated to ensure the software remains secure and keeps pace with the improvements organisations require. Unlike proprietary software, the code behind open source software is completely open and accessible allowing changes to further improve the software should organisations require.

Over the last few years the growth of open source software has been phenomenal with many organisations transitioning over to this stable, robust and secure software. With the maturity open source software now has to offer, organisations have seen the true benefits using free software to drive down costs and to establish themselves on a secure and stable platform. Open source has been the biggest change in software development for decades and is setting new open standards in the way software is produced and used globally.

To find out more about open source software, how it is developed and the benefits it has to offer, please read through our Frequently Asked Questions