Open Source Statistics  

Enterprises around the world are deploying a wide range of open source software. But how many enterprises have adopted open source, and to what extent? OLEX features statistics and survey results that have been compiled by OpenLogic as well as other organizations.

Be sure to check back often for the latest updates.

Diverse Benefits Drive Open Source Adoption

Date: September 2007
Audience: Members of the Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG)
Number of Responses: 226
Survey Summary: MySQL recently sponsored a survey among members of the Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG) to measure the scope and adoption of open source software and solutions. One of the most interesting topics covered in the survey was the reasons driving open source adoption in the enterprise. While cost savings was by far the most popular reason cited by respondents (65%), other benefits included better performance and uptime (27%), the ability to rewrite or customize code (21%), and easier integration with current systems (18%)....

Enterprise Adoption of Open Source Increasing

Date: October 2007
Audience: IT and business executives
Number of Responses: More than 200
Survey Summary: SandHill.com recently published an opinion by Bruce Guptill of Saugateck Technology in which Guptill comments on the new Saugatuck research report, "Open Source Software: The Next Disruptive IT Influence". According the Guptill, Saugatuck's research revealed that "open source software currently accounts for as much as 10 percent of user enterprise software worldwide." While open source still has a smaller footprint in the enterprise than commercial software, other figures cited by Guptill suggest that the amount of open source used in the enterprise will continue to grow....

Which Open Source License is Most Used in the Enterprise?

Date: September 2007
Audience: Enterprise customers of OpenLogic
Number of Responses: Data based on enterprise customer usage of the OpenLogic Certified Library of over 300 open source packages.
Survey Summary: Studies show that the General Public License (GPL) is by far the most common license for open source software. In fact, many people estimate that at least 75% of open source projects are licensed under the GPL or the LGPL. But although sites like Sourceforge.net feature over 100,000 open source packages, the reality is that enterprises typically use a much smaller subset of the safest, most reliable, and most popular packages....

Open Source Adoption and Influence Continue to Grow

Date: September 2007
Audience: U.S. and European software users
Number of Responses: 295
Survey Summary: A recent eWeek.com article cited statistics on open source adoption and influence that were presented at the 2007 Gartner Open Source Summit in Las Vegas. According to the article, the statistics presented by Gartner research director Laurie Wurster indicate that open source adoption--as well as its influence on the broader software market--continues to grow....

What's The Biggest Challenge to Using More Open Source?

Date: May 7-11, 2007
Audience: JavaOne Attendees
Number of Responses: 148
Survey Summary: Most enterprises are already using open source software, but in some cases it can be a challenge for developers and technical personnel to get approval to expand the number of open source packages used in their companies. Resistance to open source can come from many different individuals--legal staff, compliance personnel, and CTOs, to name a few. However, resistance usually falls into one of four main categories, and we wanted to find out which challenges are the most common....

What Percentage of Enterprises Have an Open Source Policy?

Date: October 2006
Audience: IT and business professionals
Number of Responses: 800
Survey Summary: While most enterprises today use at least a few open source packages, many of these organizations have not yet formulated an open source policy--either formal or informal. This lack of policy development is often due to the fact that many enterprises simply don't know how much open source is being used and where it's deployed. Enterprises that are actively managing open source and encouraging its use are more likely to have an open source policy, so we wanted to gain a better understanding of the percentage of enterprises that have a policy....