News
 Are
You an Oracle Open Source User?
Open source software is now part of doing business
for a majority of Oracle enterprise database sites.
A new survey out of the Independent Oracle Users
Group (IOUG) finds that 60 percent of database sites
now use open source operating systems in their
operations. Are you part of this mix?
Another 56 percent are running an open source
application server or framework, and 37 percent are
also running at least one of the major brands of
open source databases along with their Oracle
implementation.
These are the latest findings of a new survey
conducted by the Independent Oracle Users Group (IOUG),
the leading association of Oracle technology and
database professionals. The IOUG initiated this
survey of its members to develop a more
comprehensive picture
of the ways Oracle-based enterprises are
incorporating open source solutions into their
enterprises.
Respondents come from a range of industries,
including services (18 percent), government and
education (16 percent), software and high-tech (15
percent), finance/insurance (11 percent), and
utilities/transportation (10 percent). About 35
percent come from larger organizations (with 5,000
or more employees), 33 percent from mid-size
companies (500-4,999 employees), and 30 percent from
small companies with fewer than 500 employees.
The survey identified four major classes of open
source users in the Oracle database community:
• Non-users (14 percent): This segment of
respondents indicate they do not use open source at
any level of the technology stack, and have no plans
for adoption in the near future.
• Beginners (16 percent): This segment indicates
they generally have less than a year of experience
with open source applications.
• Average users (45 percent): This segment has
between one up to three years experience with open
source technologies.
• Advanced users (25 percent): This group has had
open source implementations for three years or more
for at least one level of the technology stack.
Key findings from the survey include: Most open
source deployments are still at the
edge-of-the-enterprise applications, such as Web
servers or single-function
servers, versus core enterprise application areas
such as ERP. Open source middleware or application
servers are most likely to see enterprise-class
deployments.
Ironically, enterprises don’t use open source for
its ‘open source’ qualities. Only 19 percent report
that developers in their company have made changes
or modifications to the source, and most (17
percent) said those were only a few changes. Open
source databases, operating systems and middleware
are more prevalent at smaller organizations that
were more likely to have been attracted by favorable
price points and licensing terms.
The survey was distributed via e-mail to the IOUG
members in June 2006. Overall, 269 usable responses
were returned, for a margin of error of plus or
minus seven percentage points. Almost half of
respondents, 49 percent, are database
administrators, 28 percent come from the development
and architecture community, and 20 percent are
managers or executives.
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