APPLICATIONS

The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) published its report on the findings from its recent Open Source Software pilot schemes. This has to be essential reading for anyone involved in e-Government and public sector IT in the UK. The pilots were run in partnership with a number of government bodies earlier this year and sought to assess the viability of using Open Source Software across central government departments and the wider public sector. A number of findings are contained in the report including: * Open Source Software is now a viable Desktop alternative for the majority of government users. * Interoperability is not now a major issue. * Open Source Software can generate significant savings, particularly in conjunction with Server consolidation and by delaying hardware replacement. * Potential 'green' benefits through the prolonging of hardware life, with less resources consumed in producing new hardware and less waste/disposal/landfill of old machines. * Decisions should be based on a holistic assessment of future needs, taking into account total cost of ownership, with proper consideration of both proprietary and open source solutions. OGC Chief Executive, John Oughton, said of the publication saying: "These pilots have provided us with valuable evidence on Open Source Software. They show it could support government bodies by offering efficient and cost- effective IT solutions. Effective use of IT is a crucial element in the Government's modernisation agenda. This report will assist public sector bodies in making informed, value-for-money judgements when deciding upon which solution best suits their needs." Following the publication of the report, the Cabinet Office e-Government Unit (eGU) under Ian Watmore will lead on future activity of this nature. This move is based upon the view that the key decisions that drive value for money are based on getting the technical architecture and strategy right first, rather than trying to arbitrate between Open Source and proprietary solutions. On this basis, the wider strategy is clearly now in the territory of the e- Government Unit's responsibilities. However, OGC will continue with its role of delivering commercial arrangements and deals that underpin that strategy. The pilot schemes were carried out in partnership with IBM and Sun Microsystems and allowed a number of public sector bodies to assess the potential benefits Open Source Software in a 'live' environment. Open Source Software is increasingly cited as a viable alternative to commercial proprietary software, with potential significant value for money benefits for government. It is based on the principle of software products made available by the OSS developer community (which includes commercial companies, academics and others) licensed for use with or without a fee. In September 2003 the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) announced that they would be coordinating, with the support of the Office of the e-Envoy, "Proof of Concept" trials of Open Source Software (OSS) in a range of public bodies in conjunction with IBM. In December 2003 the OGC announced that the scope would be extended to include the involvement of Sun Microsystems in trials coordinated by OGC. This report by OGC summarises the key findings from those activities and, to supplement the reports from the trials, also takes into account information obtained from other public sector activity in OSS planning and deployment in the UK and elsewhere in Europe The objective of the Proof of Concept trials was to obtain information from live customer "case study" situations on a number of key issues: * The viability of OSS; is OSS a credible alternative to proprietary software? * Obstacles to implementation of OSS; what factors may inhibit the adoption of OSS, and how can they be overcome? * The costs and benefits of OSS; what evidence is there for the value for money derived from adoption of OSS? Lessons learned in planning, implementation and operation of OSS.