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More than three-quarters (76 percent) of open source software users surveyed for the 2022 State of Open Source Report by OpenLogic by Perforce Software and the nonprofit Open Source Initiative said they increased their use of open source software over the last 12 months.
The report, which is based on a survey of 2,660 open source users, chronicles the adoption and propagation of open source software, identifies challenges to open source adoption and success, and measures the maturity of open source strategies.
Source: https://www.openlogic.com/resources/2022-open-source-report
Open source software and tools are often at the forefront of new innovations in IT and software development. Open source projects led the way in a number of cloud computing, virtualization, and container technologies, for example. It’s no surprise, then, that the report found growing adoption of open source DevOps tooling, including testing, automation, orchestration, CI/CD, and AI/ML/DL technologies.
Source: https://www.openlogic.com/resources/2022-open-source-report
Businesses that want to reap the rewards of open source innovation have an opportunity to do so, but the report called attention to some challenges they will need to navigate along the way.
The first is risk, which presents itself to organizations that use open source software and code in a number of ways. The second significant challenge is around talent.
Managing Open Source Risk
There is risk for businesses using open source around properly identifying and attributing components in the applications they develop. Unlike commercial software, which often undergoes a procurement process involving several team members, developers can easily grab the latest piece of open source code and include it in an application if no controls are in place. Organizations shouldn’t confuse the lack of price tag tied to open source to a lack of risk or responsibility.
“Because companies are in the mode of ‘free,’ they don’t explicitly think about the risk,” says Rod Cope, CTO of Perforce Software. “They’ve delegated procurement to the devs. Devs will always grab the new and shiny thing.”
Without proper attribution of open source components it’s much harder to monitor and maintain security and patch vulnerabilities. Simply put, organizations can’t secure components they don’t know are included in an application.
Cope says what companies really need is a long-term commitment to knowing and making known what is in their software and to institute controls before they experience a problem resulting from unattributed or unpatched components. But the report found that that commitment and those controls may be lacking at some organizations. According to the report, only 15 percent of respondents say their organization has established an open source program office (OSPO) to oversee how open source components are used.
The Talent Shortage Hurts Open Source and Beyond
Talent is another significant challenge that stands between businesses and open source innovation. Nearly 30 percent of the respondents in the State of Open Source Report said their organization lacked the internal skills to test, use, integrate, and support open source technology.
Source: https://www.openlogic.com/resources/2022-open-source-report
A shortage of software development talent is holding back innovation more broadly, not just in the open source community. Even when businesses do have the talent to innovation with open source, retention of that talent can be a serious challenge.
According to Cope, the talent shortage is only going to get worse in the coming years. Forward-thinking companies will be employing tactics like bootcamps, skills training and mentorships to build and help retain talent.
Open Source Offers Great Rewards
Organizations that are able to institute control over their open source program and properly track their use of components can manage the risk and take advantage of the functionality and innovation open source software has to offer.
Investing in and retaining software talent will be a significant challenge for the foreseeable future. According the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the world will be short 85.2 million software development jobs by 2030. Well-planned recruiting strategies, ongoing skills development, and access to the latest technology will help attract and retain developers.
Still, companies that are able to meet the challenges around risk and talent stand to be rewarded because of the tremendous pace of innovation in open source software.
“Whatever the next cutting-edge thing is, open source will lead the way,” says Cope.
To learn more, download a copy of the 2022 State of Open Source Report.