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| DATE | 2013-07-23 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] linux in government
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http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2013/jul/22/red-hat-exec-debunks-open-source-myth/
Red Hat exec debunks open source myth
By Clarice Africa | 22 July 2013 | Views: 1008
Paul Smith, Vice President and General Manager of Red Hat’s U.S.
Public Sector businesses addresses misconceptions about open source
adoption and shares how it will “future proof” innovation in the
public sector.
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OPEN GOVERNMENT
From this Section
INTERVIEW
When it comes to government IT, open source is no longer just an option
for many public sector organisations. It’s quickly becoming a
necessity to both support and spur the creation of next-generation
services, in addition to securing significant returns on investment.
Rather than functioning purely as consumers, these public sector
organisations are acting as contributors, “furthering the
conversation” as it were by giving back lines of code or even
opening up their own projects to the open source community.
“Investing in open source provides a free and open platform for
innovation, allowing the best and brightest ideas to take root within
the agency, not just the ideas that a vendor deems ‘most
profitable’,” Smith says.
“It allows agencies to build unique, differentiated services,
providing valuable services to taxpayers without vendor lock-in or the
steep costs traditionally associated with proprietary technologies.”
Dispelling misconceptions
While the benefits of open source adoption are indeed promising, Smith
says efforts are still being made to clarify misconceptions and allay
any fears surrounding open source.
“By far the most common misconception, which still occasionally
rears its head, is that open source is not a hardened or secure
technology,” he says.
“Enterprise-class open source, such as the solutions that public
sector organisations work with, is incredibly secure. In fact, open
source adoption took off in government agencies – particularly in
the U.S. Department of Defense – because it is more secure.”
He shares that many intelligence agencies and governmental security
bureaus have contributed to some of the leading open source
distributions, providing hardened code and enhanced security
functionality that meets their own rigorous standards. This, combined
with the already transparent nature of open source code, means that
governmental agencies can know for certain that their projects using
open source are secure.
“Red Hat Enterprise Linux has completed 15 Common Criteria
evaluation cycles, placing atop the list of the industry’s most
certified operating systems. Additionally, we worked jointly with the
U.S. National Security Agency to bring SELinux to Red Hat Enterprise
Linux,” he adds.
Future proofing innovation
Over the next decade, as emerging services that demand open
technologies, like cloud computing, continue to grow, open source will
only become more valuable to public sector organisations. As a result,
Red Hat’s commitment to the public sector will only deepen.
In addition, the adoption of open source solutions will continue to gain
ground as governments worldwide embrace the tenets of transparency and
openness in both business and IT initiatives.
“Public sector IT is changing almost too fast for agencies to keep
pace; by investing in open source, policy makers can ensure that they
are not only on track with the technology trends of today, but also
future-proofed for the innovations of the future.”
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