Tough times have always engendered sudden growth spurts of Open Source Software. The last time it occurred was soon after the Dot Com bust. This was the time when a lot of Open Source software like Linux and Java related ones got their sudden boost!
A similar thing could again happen to Open Source Business Intelligence! This is especially true of subscription based Open Source BI and those companies that were on the verge of finishing their basic IT projects automating functions that needed automation.
Once basic functional software like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or CRM systems are in place automating daily functions, companies have the budgets and the face time for Business Intelligence solutions. With the Banking, Finance and Insurance Services (BFSI) sector in big trouble, with lots of uncertainties about the Global economy, many companies may dip their toes in the Open Source BI waters.
Of course, Open Source Software is not by any means free, since it always costs money for support and ongoing maintenance of the BI effort. With the recent downturn in Sun Microsystems performance and their announcements of layoffs, I wonder where their purchase of MySql open source product is! Would there be any cutbacks in their business model for MySQL support? What would this mean for those Open Source BI solutions based on MySQL
If anything, touch times are actually good for companies to experiment wih new technologies, especially if it is open source, and it does not cost too much to get something going!
Will be interesting to see if this is true and Open Source BI takes off during these touch times for the global economy!
We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. - Charles R. Swindoll.
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