Back in the '90s when businesses first started using the internet to put up their digital shingles, there were a host of self-proclaimed anarchists who spouted that information should remain free and vowed to never pay for software licenses--or anything else, for that matter. They were written off as social misfits and generally disregarded. However, after more than a decade of internet evolution, it looks like those social deviants were onto something.

Open source software is software designed with little to no intellectual property restrictions that allows users to use, alter, improve and redistribute it without charge. Many times, open source software is developed through the collaborative efforts of a group of programmers under the belief that collective intellect leads to better, more stable product development.

Historically, open source software was a labor of love for hobbyists and hackers. Today, open source is a multibillion-dollar industry. Many companies opt to use open source software as their primary software platforms--from word processing to operating systems. Granted, a good chunk of these businesses are nonprofits, but for-profit businesses are readily adopting open source in increasing numbers. Should you?

The Benefits of Open Source
The benefits of using open source software in your business are numerous.

• The price: Instead of spending a few thousand dollars to license and maintain the latest office productivity suite, you can download, install and configure a piece of software for free. See OpenOffice for a good example.
   
• The stability: Because open source software is developed in a collaborative fashion, there are literally thousands of pairs of eyes available to catch most bugs before the latest versions are released. This makes for software that rarely crashes or causes other software conflicts.
   
• The competitive edge: A business is only as good as its ability to retrieve and process information efficiently, effectively and strategically. Many times, open source software eliminates common annoyances and limitations that mainstream software presents and allows for better usability.

Jason Kobilka, a project manager at Iron Horse Ventures, a strategic management consulting firm, says they use open source in running their business, as well as for client projects, and they couldn't be happier with the results. "Open source software allows our internal development to move faster. Instead of using expensive software, we keep our operating costs lower by using open source applications," says Kobilka. "We've found that open source software is easier to use because it's developed with a very user-friendly kind of mentality."

The Drawbacks of Open Source
With all the benefits of using open source software, it's very easy to rush headlong into open source zealotry, but beware. There are some instances when open source is not the answer. One example is when the costs of training, support or maintaining the open source application would outweigh the costs for traditional software licensing. Remember, free software licensing often means no telephone or e-mail support.

There may also be legal implications of being unable to prove, for compliance purposes, that you have the legal right to use the software. And if your company is using software to transmit or house sensitive client data, security might be a concern as well. Many companies take the smart position of not using open source applications for financial or medical records.

What Now?
The best thing to do when trying to decide if open source is for your company is to ask a few pointed questions:

• What are the requirements the software has to meet? What do you need software to do to play an effective role in your business' technology infrastructure?
   
• What level of support do you need? This isn't the time for pie-in-the-sky dreams. Be as realistic as possible.
   
• What's the trade-off of using an open source solution? And what's the trade-off of not going with open source?

The grass isn't always greener with open source, but if you plan to build a robust, sustainable company, open source is worth a close examination.