Small Business folks have been using Microsoft products for so long that switching to open source tools seems like too risky a move. Of course anytime we change the way we do things we expose ourselves to some risk. So, as with most changes, the best way to mitigate our risk is to do some due diligence, use pilot tests and go slow. Here are some ways you can begin using open source software (OSS) in your small business.

1. Begin using open source tools for some of your less than mission critical functions. This is a good way to get familiar with finding, downloading and installing open source solutions. Because you will be using them in the peripheries of your operation there is less risk that any part of your operation can be disrupted. Firefox and KeePass are pretty good choices for this because they are more personal tools then they are enterprise tools.

2. Begin using open source solutions next to the commercial versions. This is a great way to see that open source solutions can be and are just as good as their proprietary counterparts. Choose OSS applications that also run on Windows. This will greatly simplify your ability to evaluate them. If you use MS-Office, install OpenOffice and use it occasionally. It works directly with the MS-Office file formats and you’ll find the learning curve is not very steep. Use Firefox next to IE and Thunderbird/Lightening next to office. In the case of Office vs OpenOffice / Thunderbird you may find that the MS products are a bit more rich in features, but most users find they don’t use those features very often. In the case of Firefox, I think you will find it much better than IE.

3. Setup a Linux box. If you’re like most small businesses, you have one or two old PC’s lying around. Brush off the dust and install one of the popular GNU/Linux distributions. Most of them run pretty well even on older PC’s with less capacity, particularly for evaluation purposes. You’ll have to invest a bit more time with this project, but in the end, should you choose to move to Linux based servers, you can save thousands when deploying new database, web and application servers.

4. Work with IT consultants that have experience with open source. In my travels I have seen many computer consultants that are animately opposed to using open source. As I get to know them better, I realize that it’s only because they have no experience with it. They’ve been working with MS products so long, they don’t want to take the time to learn anything new. That’s fine for them, but can get very expensive for you. A consultant with OSS experience can share their opinions of products with you, help you with the deployment of products and create custom solutions using them.

5. Conduct a pilot project using your new LAMP Stack. Once you have a Linux server running use your IT consultant to build a simple application that you can begin using. As you see that the benefits are equal to that of an MS-based solution, you will have the confidence to move forward with more OSS products and custom solutions based on them.

Despite the popularity of Microsoft in the small business environment, their solutions are not always your best choice, particularly when you factor in the high licensing fees of server based software. You will get more from your IT infrastructure when those license fee dollars can be directed towards building useful solutions for your business. The clients I work with that choose open source software solutions find it is a great way to maximize their return on investment. So slip of your MS loafers and dip your toes into the OSS pool. I promise, the water’s not that cold.

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 11th, 2008 at 10:54 am and is filed under Business Solutions, Free Software, How To. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.