There are several businesses nowadays that use open source software for their work. Although reasonable purchase and maintenance (in terms of cost) is one of the greatest advantages of using open source, it is not the only reason so many businesses are opting for it. Listed below are 5 main benefits that make open source software more lucrative than proprietary software.
Quality: Whenever a product is offered at a cheap price, it is thought to be of inferior quality. However, studies claim that open source software is actually comparable to expensive counterparts. With numerous developers and users working tirelessly to enhance the features and security, and with the source code available for everyone to develop, the quality argument doesn’t stand anywhere. In fact flexibility is one of the main reasons why people opt for such software.
Customizable: Since the source code is available for everyone; businesses can modify it according to their business needs and increase its functionality. Can you think about doing this with proprietary software? I don’t think so.
Abundant Support: The vibrant online community is a great place to seek free support. With many technical firms also joining the fray, paid support for open source software is also available now. Though people generally go to online forums to seek answers to their questions, paid support is better still. Paid support is not very costly either and their customer service is much more receptive towards your needs (because you pay them).
No Lock-in Issues: Freedom from vendor lock-ins is what you get with open source software. Since there are no limitations with respect to the expiry date of the software license, prices, commands, etc., a user can make his own decision regarding what he will do with the software.
Secure: Though the source code can be seen and used by anyone, open source is actually safe. With developers and users constantly testing and scrutinizing, the security of open source software is unmatchable when compared to proprietary software. Think of a bug and you will know why. If there is a bug in an open source, then it will be quickly detected and fixed. With proprietary software, it would take greater time to find a solution and then fix the problem.