Open Innovation
The
Open Innovation Project was initiated to enable enterprise
CIOs to manage the risks and opportunities of implementing more effectively
innovation from other members
and other sources such as Open Source Software (OSS)
more effectively. Although everyone is familiar with the phenomenon of
OSS, and software such as Linux™, Mozilla™,
and Apache™ have become famous alternatives to their commercial
counterparts, there are potentially many pitfalls that can be encountered
in utilizing OSS. CIOs face challenges in integration, support, supplier
viability, and intellectual property management.
The initial phase of the Open Innovation Project will consist of a baseline assessment and discovery of OSS within each member enterprise, resulting in a complete inventory of the tools, libraries, and applications that are based on OSS. Many CIOs are surprised to find how dependent they are upon OSS, which often entered the enterprise informally and without controls. Once the inventory has been completed, it will be the basis for specific actions within the project.
The CIO members will analyze the licensing models used by the OSS in their enterprises and write common policies to minimize the risks associated in integrating with, or becoming dependent upon, the code issued under various licenses. They will recommend reasonable alternatives for replacing code with problematic licenses.
Enterprises with overlapping uses of OSS will identify projects that enhance the code to their specifications, integrate it cleanly with other applications, and monitor and manage it appropriately with enterprise tools. They will also have the opportunity to establish support mechanisms for the combinations of OSS most common in their enterprises.
Throughout the project, CIO members will have the opportunity to interact personally with other members and those of the Open Source community.
