Open source takes on monster IT firms

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The benefits offered by open source software development is the way forward for smaller firms looking to take on established giants, according to the heads of database firm EnterpriseDB.

The company, which sells a product based on the open source PostgreSQL database, is another in a long line of firms using open source products to take on bigger, more established players. A survey last month showed that three-quarters of firms had deployed or intended to deploy open source solutions for core business systems.

"Open source acceptance as crossed a threshold this year," said president and chief executive Andy Astor. "It's a legitimate technology. Companies will give credence to open source solutions when two or three years ago, they wouldn't try an open source database."

He said the main reason people turn to his company is because they find Oracle - the database leader, with about half the market - too expensive and not attentive enough. Furthermore, he reckons that they're not concerned about how the EnterpriseDB solution was developed, he said.

"But it's not that open source is the reason, it's a business reason... the conversation is not how open source are you, it's what's the best value," he said, claiming his product offers a savings close to 80 per cent compared with Oracle's products.

It's not just about the money, however. "The customer base is looking for alternatives. Oracle is too expensive, indifferent to businesses and not attentive," said Steve Bale, general manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

But it's not all about open source for EnterpriseDB. Another benefit in its battle for Oracle's customers is the recent release of 11g. With the upgraded database, you can't just upgrade from previous versions - you need a full migration. But previous versions of Oracle's databases are easily migratable, said Astor. "We're easier to migrate to than 11g," he said.

But users must eventually upgrade, as support from Oracle only goes back a couple versions. "It's a cost to be borne to keep up with maintenance," said Bale, noting it may help drive customers to look for an alternative. "So we're pleased 11g has been released," he noted.

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