by Bernard Golden

Building an Open Source-Ready IT Organization

Opinion
Jun 06, 20081 min
Enterprise Applications

So, let’s suppose you’re a senior IT exec convinced of the open source value proposition. You want to use it more aggressively.

One of the issues raised about open source adoption is the paucity of open source skills within organizations. So how do you skill up your employee base?

It’s not as easy as saying “Let’s go hire a bunch of open source-knowledgable people.” Most IT shops are resource constrained, so new headcount is not going to be the total answer.

And it’s not just technical skills like, say, Ruby, you need. There’s a cultural component as well — participating in the community rather than relying on a vendor.

So, how do you infuse open source skills into your IT organization — a prerequisite for open source success?