Open Source

Open source - is most commonly applied to the source code of software that is made available to the general public with either relaxed or non-existent intellectual property restrictions. This allows users to create user-generated software content through either incremental individual effort, or collaboration.

To majority of companies the perception of open source is a free ready to use software which can be easily downloaded and configured. However it is important for companies to realize that open source software is developed by a large number of users working towards creating an application that suits generic business requirements. It's imperative for companies to conduct detailed analysis to conclude if an open source application suits their business and functional requirements.