Open Source for the Enterprise

For Immediate Release
For more information, a review copy, cover art, or an interview with
the authors, contact:
Kathryn Barrett (707) 827-7094 or kathrynb@oreilly.com

A Guide to the Benefits, Risks, and Responsibilities of Using Open Source
O'Reilly Releases "Open Source for the Enterprise"

Sebastopol, CA--If using open source were as easy as simply installing
Linux and learning to use a few free tools and applications, the world
would have completely converted to open source by now. Certainly, the
benefits of using open source are attractive and significant: "Becoming
the sort of IT department that can successfully use open source means
empowerment, saving hard dollars, and ensuring freedom from captivity to
vendors," observe Dan Woods and Gautam Guliani, authors of "Open Source
for the Enterprise" (O'Reilly, US $22.95). Large and small businesses
alike that are enticed by open source's possibilities--saving money on
license fees, reducing support and integration costs, gaining access to
the functionality of thousands of programs, and much more--must
necessarily hesitate when they consider its incumbent risks and
responsibilities.

"IT departments are waking up to the profound opportunities open source
provides to save money and better serve the business. In 'Open Source for
the Enterprise,' I try to explain what open source is, how it is different
from enterprise software, and how IT departments can take advantage of it
by building skills and implementing new governance processes to control
adoption," explains Woods.

Woods and Guliani describe their book as "a sober reflection and a
pragmatic approach to an ocean of opportunity." Written from an IT
department's perspective, "Open Source for the Enterprise" is organized
around the common problems facing those who struggle in the trenches.
Rather than plunging into the popular, spirited debate of why open source
is superior to proprietary software, the authors offer an intelligent
discussion aimed to help technology and business executives determine
whether they can benefit from using open source in their environments.

"Companies that learn how to take advantage of open source software will
have an advantage over those that do not," Woods and Guliani explain.
"Information technology departments that build the skills needed to put
open source to work alongside existing systems will serve their companies
better than those that do not. This book aims to be a guide to the
challenges IT departments will encounter when they undertake this
journey."

As Woods and Guliani point out, in order to make open source work,
businesses will need to have a clear understanding of what open source is
and what it is not. They'll need to understand the fully loaded costs of
using open source and have a strategy for acquiring and maintaining the
needed skills. This will involve crafting a hybrid tack of open source and
commercial software that makes sense for the organization. "Open Source
for the Enterprise" approaches these and other issues in ten succinct
chapters, beginning with a discussion of the nature of open source; the
book concludes with a series of appendixes that identify the most
promising open source applications. Other topics covered are:

-The open source skill set
-Making the ROI case
-Designing an open source strategy
-Support models for open source
-Open source under attack
-A comparison of open source licenses

"Open source should play some role in most IT departments, including
yours," notes Woods. "This book will show you how to get it right--not
through reckless enthusiasm, but through prudence, patience, and a
methodical search for the risks and ways to remedy them."

Additional Resources:

For more information about the book, including author bio, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/opensourceent/index.html

For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/0596001...

Open Source for the Enterprise
Dan Woods and Gautam Guliani
ISBN: 0-596-00119-8, 219 pages, $22.95 US, $32.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
http://www.oreilly.com
1005 Gravenstein Highway North
Sebastopol, CA 95472

About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media, Inc. is the premier information source for leading-edge
computer technologies. The company's books, conferences, and web sites
bring to light the knowledge of technology innovators. O'Reilly books,
known for the animals on their covers, occupy a treasured place on the
shelves of the developers building the next generation of software.
O'Reilly conferences and summits bring alpha geeks and forward-thinking
business leaders together to shape the revolutionary ideas that spark new
industries. From the Internet to XML, open source, .NET, Java, and web
services, O'Reilly puts technologies on the map. For more information:
http://www.oreilly.com

# # #

O'Reilly is a registered trademark of O'Reilly Media, Inc. All other
trademarks are property of their respective owners.