DAMNEWS
Ralph Windsor, a senior partner in one of our featured DAM vendors, Daydream discusses some myths about open source software and explains why he believes open source represents the future for DAM.
Introduction
In this article, I will examine a number of the myths about open source software and try to clear up some misconceptions which I regularly encounter.
If you intend to invest into a DAM system, it is important that you evaluate arguments posed for and against types of software license to decide if they apply to you. The license should not be the sole criteria for choosing a product, however, as I shall illustrate, using an open source DAM system can offer some compelling benefits.
Before we commence, a disclaimer. I am a representative of a consultancy business that both uses and develops open source DAM software as well as integrating DAM systems with other proprietary and open source solutions. While I have made every effort to be objective and factual in my analysis, you need to do your own research and form an independent opinion about any conclusions reached.
Myth 1: Open source software costs no money
There is an implicit assumption that open source software costs no money and this is often the original reason why many users seek an open source product. However, this is not the defining characteristic of open source, it is the ability to access the source code of the software if you are user of it.
An open source DAM vendor can charge you for a software licence and still be open source. There is not necessarily a direct relationship between a type of license and what you have to pay to obtain it. The "free" part means that you have the freedom to access the source code and change it yourself providing you abide by the terms of the license.
Myth 2: Cost-free downloadable software and open source software means the same thing
Deciding to offer no-cost download of a DAM system is not exclusively an open source strategy but more of a marketing tactic intended to increase user numbers. The worst outcome for most software is having no one use it. Just like websites need traffic, magazines need readers and TV channels need viewers, if software does not have users it lacks an audience and a platform to grow and acquire momentum from which revenue can be generated.
A vendor may choose to solve this problem by offering a public download of their DAM system and to give themselves a competitive edge in terms of market attention, but that does not mean they are open source. The only defining criteria is that all of the source code is available and open to the users of the software irrespective of what method was used to distribute it and whether costs were applied or not.
Myth 3: Open source and Cloud DAM are different
It is common to find DAM systems being classified using one of three categories:
- Open source
- Proprietary (closed source)
- Software as a Service (SaaS) or Cloud
The reality is that Cloud/SaaS DAM can be either proprietary or open source, so the third category is invalid. It is quite common for open source DAM systems to have Cloud hosting options and be implemented with that environment in mind. Cloud/SaaS describes software that is designed for multiple simultaneous groups of end users ('multi-tenanted' to use the terminology) and typically delivered to users via Cloud hosting providers (e.g. Amazon). It has no relationship upon the license used by the vendor.
There are only two factors which prevent all DAM vendors with a Cloud offer from offering their products as open source: willingness to do so and use of third party technologies which they lack the rights to distribute the source code for.
'"Enterprise Software" is a subjective term applied to suggest the suitability of a product for the needs of larger organisations. The more important criteria is whether a vendor's software is right for your enterprise or not. Open source is only a license that determines how you may use the software, it does not prescribe any particular set of features which you should expect and therefore it is possible so obtain open source DAM which is both enterprise or non-enterprise in nature.
If you choose some relatively non-contentious enterprise software characteristics such as, the use of corporate friendly toolsets like Java, .NET, SQL Server and Oracle you can still easily find open source DAM software offered by different vendors that use them. Similarly, the scalability and integration options with corporate IT capabilities are all widely available in multiple open source DAM systems - even those not built in the aforementioned technologies. That open source DAM is non-enterprise friendly, is at best an out of date perspective and at worst, a complete fabrication.
Myth 5: Open source software has no copyright restrictions
Another common myth is that because the product and source code is offered freely that the developers have given up their copyright and you can just take it and do whatever you like. The extent to which you are able to exploit the source code to the software depends very much on the licence, just like other intellectual property.
Open source licenses aim to protect the rights of the original author while affording the users of the software some freedom and protection to view and modify via a legal framework. They represent a more equitable relationship between software author and end user that protects the interests of both parties, but they are still protected by copyright and intellectual property law.
An open source DAM solution avoids the need for complex software source code escrow schemes and in organisations that mandate them for proprietary software (e.g. public sector users) this can save months of protracted contractual negotiation and bureaucracy plus all the attendant staff and legal costs incurred by either party.
Myth 6: The Cloud makes open source DAM irrelevant
A popular myth is that if use a Cloud service you may ignore the characteristics of the underlying software and leave everything in the hands of the service provider. If they can be guaranteed to support your solution indefinitely even if your needs or their business change then that might be true - but does that sound likely?
The most practical way to protect yourself from risks with Cloud hosted DAM is to insist on open source software. If the vendor ceases to trade or merges with someone else and decides they can no longer support your DAM system, using an open source product gives you an option that allows you to assume control and protect your investment.
For larger organisations with many users and assets, the risk management advantages are potentially the most important USP of an open source product over proprietary alternatives and the factor that makes Cloud hosted DAM a tenable proposition for a corporate user.
Read the full article
here
]]>
I wrote so many times about the difficulty to define what a DAM is... Just try to imagine the challenge to do it with a tweet of 140 characters or less. 
