A little over a week ago we launched an updated version of the OpenLogic corporate website. The basic page layout is largely the same, but there are some significant changes to the content, organization, and style.

First and foremost, we refocused the content to better reflect our primary open source solutions—commercial-grade support for open source, open source governance, and open source provisioning. We also updated information on our open source services and OpenLogic Exchange (OLEX), our Software-as-a-Service platform for comprehensive sourcing and governance of open source software in the enterprise. Organizational improvements allow visitors to browse our offerings by solution type or by product name, and our library of webinars and other downloads is now easier to navigate.

From a style standpoint we tried to give the site a softer, more “web 2.0” look and feel without going through a start-from-scratch redesign. We tackled this by rounding off hard edges and adding subtle gradients to sidebars, and we also increased the page width to improve readability and get more content above the fold.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the redesign.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

As many of you know, I'm now working full time as the GNOME Foundation's Executive Director. From now on, I'll be blogging primarily on Stormy's Corner. Thanks for following me – I hope to see you at Stormy's Corner.

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Every company should have an open source strategy and policy – or at least cover open source in their company's policy. Even if they don't use open source software, they should have a policy saying whether or not they could use open source or who would have to decide. Otherwise they'll end up wasting developer time.

And yet survey after survey shows that companies do not have open source software policies. Mark Radcliffe reports that the DLA Piper 2008 Technology Leaders Forecast Survey found that only 48% of companies* have an open source software strategy and:

Larger companies, those with more than 5,000 employees, reported use of open source software in only 9% of their products and 65% do not have open source use policies.

I bet even fewer would have an open source strategy. (My argument for a strategy, which I will repeat endlessly, is that if you don't state why you are using open source, you won't set up the right policies.)

* Disclaimer: the study wasn't included and I wasn't sure what "these companies" referred to.

The economic downturn is having an impact on businesses large and small in every sector of the economy, and everyone is looking to reduce expenses and maximize the value of existing infrastructure. Migrating to open source software is one of the best ways to achieve these goals, so we’re offering a free webinar to help guide enterprises looking to get started with or expand usage of open source: “Navigating the Economic Downturn: Strategies for Cutting Costs with Open Source.” This webinar will be held on Wednesday, October 29 at 11:00 Pacific / 2:00 Eastern. A recording of the webinar as well as the slides will be available for download from the OpenLogic webinar library after the event.

In this webinar we’ll discuss how enterprises can leverage open source solutions to reduce IT expenses and preserve infrastructure investments while accelerating innovation. Topics to be covered include:

• Overview of best practices for bringing open source into the enterprise
• Key areas to consider for migrating from proprietary to open source solutions
• How to project and measure the ROI of migrating to open source

Whether you’re already using open source software or just beginning to evaluate open source alternatives that may be able to help you cut costs, please be sure to join us on October 29 at 11:00 Pacific / 2:00 Eastern.