Getting Open Source Under Control

As IT organizations have come to depend on open source software more than ever in the wake of the recent downturn, it’s clear that managing open source software is becoming increasingly challenging. This creates not only management headaches, but real security and compliance risks to the business.

A survey of 2,550 IT professionals conducted by Sonatype, a provider of repository software for managing open source components, finds the situation is improving as IT organizations become savvier about the need for wrapping formal processes around the use of open source software. But the survey also makes clear that there is still a long way to go before the vast majority of IT organizations get open source software usage under control.

Click through for results from a survey on open source management, conducted by Sonatype.

Usage continues to get more formalized.

Investment in tools to manage open source artifacts increases for a variety of good reasons.

Two thirds are actively participating and using open source software.

Java rules the day.

Lot of luck involved.

Central repository implies they’ve been vetted.

Growing appreciation for quality and security.

An equal split.

Not as strong as it should be.

More than half hate them to one degree or another.

Everyone and no one.

A significant improvement.

Hit or miss.

There are no automatic notifications to rely on.