SAS: Open source software comes with hidden costs and problems

Open source technologies are great for organizations, but they're far from perfect. As a matter of fact, many of the open source technologies in use today come with hidden costs and problems. This is according to a new report by SAS, which was created on a poll of 300 executives across the UK and Ireland.

These costs and problems mostly revolve around training staff, as well as recruiting, or replacing employees with essential data science skills.

That's why it's ideal -- at least according to SAS -- to keep the ratio between open source and proprietary technology 40 to 60 in favor of proprietary tech. Around a quarter of organizations surveyed for the report said they are using open source technology throughout the company.

Besides hidden costs and problems, the biggest concern organizations have is regarding security (50 percent) as well as struggling to find a solution that fits the entire organization.

"Businesses have been turning to open source software as they see it as a means to quickly and affordably create new capabilities," explained Peter Pugh-Jones, head of technology, SAS UK and Ireland.

"However, many organizations aren’t taking into account all the relevant factors when it comes to the true cost of open source, leaving them potentially exposed -- for example, more than half don’t take into account the need to replace expertise if employees leave. The reality is, businesses need to innovate to solve a multitude of challenges. Open source versus proprietary is not an either-or decision, but the right choice should be based on the business problem an organization is trying to address."

The full report, which goes into more details on the benefits of both open source and proprietary solutions, can be found on this link.

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