The 451 Commercial Adoption of Open Source (CAOS) Research Service helps enterprise end users, software vendors and investors track and understand the opportunities and threats presented by open source.

The growth of open source software in the enterprise IT arena is changing the way that vendors, end users and investors do business, bringing both opportunities and challenges along with it. Analysts at The 451 Group like to call it ‘CAOS.’ And the company has built this analytical service to help enterprise end users, software vendors and investors navigate through the uncertainty related to commercial open source software.

This analytical service:

• Offers in-depth, timely perspectives on the introduction of open source software into the enterprise environment – from the points of view of both end users and software vendors
• Examines the effectiveness of the strategies, business models and support/development programs of both existing and new vendor companies that are taking an open source approach in the delivery of software products and services to their enterprise customers
• Delivers frontline intelligence on customer adoption issues and market dynamics, including budgeting, approval, organizational challenges, technical concerns, implementation lifecycle and vendor support
• Provides relevant case studies and ‘lessons learned’ from early adopters and vendors who have ‘been there, done that,’ tackling issues such as:
  • Organizational challenges in producing and/or supporting open source software
  • Business models for open source ISVs, both Hybrid vs. integrator approaches and publisher vs. integrator approaches
  • Go-to-market strategies, including decision trees for approaching open source
• Integrates perspectives of the 451 CAOS Community – an insider group of early adopters who deliver direction to the software industry through its participation in this research – into its analytical findings

Core components of this service include:

• 451 CAOS Reports = 6 comprehensive, ‘big-idea’ reports per year
• 451 CAOS Insight Update = bi-weekly e-mail with analysis of key, current marketplace developments
• 451 CAOS Analyst Access = interaction with 451 open source practice head Raven Zachary
• 451 CAOS Community = direct insight from this insider group of early adopters who participate in this research
• 451 CAOS Theory = a blog for the enterprise open source community

To download the latest report, please log in and click over to the CAOS home page.