Open Source Software and the Australian Government Presentation
Slide 1: Title slide
Image: Coat of Arms – Australian Government, Department of Finance and Deregulation (repeated on all slides)
Open Source Software and the Australian Government
Image: Linux penguins
Brian Catto
Director, Governance and Policy Branch
Australian Government Information Management Office
Department of Finance and Deregulation
18th November 2011 Slide 2: Outline – 1
• About AGIMO
• About Open Source
• Opportunities
• Considerations
• The International Landscape
Footer (repeated on all slides): Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) Slide 3: Outline – 2
• Australian Government Policy
• Current Open Source Software Policy
• Open Source Software Policy Principles
• Use of Open Source Software in Agencies
• Predictions for the Future
• Next Steps/More Information Slide 4: About AGIMO
About AGIMO
Business group
Image: Coat of Arms – Australian Government, Department of Finance and Deregulation
(Australian Government Information Management Office)
Purpose
• foster the efficient and effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) by Australian government departments and agencies
• provides advice, tools, information and services to help Australian government departments and agencies use ICT to improve administration and service delivery
• works with governments and other bodies at the local, state, national and international levels Slide 5: About AGIMO (2)
Leadership
• development of whole of government ICT strategies (e.g. cloud computing strategy)
• co-ordinate governance of ICT (whole of government and cross jurisdictional)
Procurement
• on behalf of government – desktop hardware, licenses, telecommunications services, data centre facilities
Image: computers Slide 6: About AGIMO (3)
Operations
• Intra Government Communications Network (ICON)
• FedLink
• .gov.au domain naming regime across Australia
• directory.gov.au – guide to structure, organisations and key people within the Australian government Slide 7: About AGIMO (4)
Policy
• ICT investment management
• Internet Gateway Reduction Program
• Data Centre Strategy
• ICT staff teleworking policy
• IPv6 transition policy
• Open Source policy
• Bespoke Development policy Slide 8: About AGIMO (5)
Advice
• Australian Government Architecture framework
• Better Practice Guidelines
• Security and Authentication standards
• Australians’ use of the internet and e-government services (annual study)
• web publishing and web content accessibility guidelines Slide 9: About AGIMO
Service Delivery
• australia.gov.au – online entry point for government information
Image: australia.gov.au screenshot Slide 10: About AGIMO
Service Delivery
• data.gov.au – online repository of public sector datasets
Image: data.gov.au screenshot Slide 11: About AGIMO
Service Delivery
• govdex.gov.au – secure online collaboration for government
Image: govdex.gov.au screenshot Slide 12: About AGIMO
Service Delivery
• govspace.gov.au – online social media platform
Image: govspace.gov.au screenshot Slide 13: About AGIMO
Service Delivery
• AGIMO Blog – agimo.govspace.gov.au - announcements from AGIMO
Image: agimo.govspace.gov.au screenshot Slide 14: About AGIMO
• Source code that is available to view, use, modify and redistribute (under various licensing obligations)
• Subject to copyright
• Variety of sourcing options
• Not necessarily free
• Examples …
Image: globe and connected computers surrounded by open source logos: Thunderbird, MySQL, OpenOffice, Firefox, Linux, Apache Slide 15: Opportunities
• Cost (usually no upfront payment)
• Encourages competitive support services market
• Encourages collaboration
• Less restrictions on software users
• Users take direct control of software maintenance and support Slide 16: Opportunities (2)
• Provides opportunity to try the software before committing to it
• May reduce vendor lock-in
• Allows users to view and modify the source code
• Users can rapidly take advantage of improved functionality from new releases
• Increases interoperability
• Is usually modular Slide 17: Considerations
• Total cost of ownership (aka whole of life costs)
• Warranties/Indemnities
• Support and Maintenance
• Maturity (Stability)
• Need for Customisation
Image: man at computer with headset Slide 18: Considerations (2)
• Community
• Training for users
• Innovation
• Liability
• Licensing Obligations
• Portability
• Release Management
• Reliability
• Restrictions on Use
• Re-Use
• Security Slide 19: The International Landscape
Image: Brazil
Brazil – referenced in Gershon 2.12.7 :
• “….determined to effectively use the latest ICT technologies…..”;
• “….making some of the world’s largest investment in open source software.”
– Nov 2003 – encourage use of OSS
– 2005 – 300,000 gov computers switched from MS to Linux
– 2006 – supporting locally produced open source products
– 2008 – 73% of large companies use OSS Slide 20: The International Landscape
Image: United Kingdom
UK
• 2010 - Release of “Open Source, Open Standards and ReUse: Government Action Plan”.
• UK government will actively and fairly consider open source solutions alongside proprietary solutions in making procurement decisions
• Where there is no significant monetary difference, open source products will be selected due to their “inherent flexibility” Slide 21: The International Landscape
Image: New York
USA
• 2003 – Dept of Defense approved use of open source software (subject to meeting security standards)
• Current policy mandates that open source solutions must be considered. Policy states that both OSS and non-OSS are equally acceptable, and that a decision should be made based on merit. “OSS neutral” Slide 22: The International Landscape
Image: Canada
Canada
• Several city administrations (eg Edmonton) and Federal departments use OSS, but no clear Federal policy regarding OSS Slide 23: The International Landscape
Image: New Zealand
New Zealand
• NZ Government Agencies are encouraged to assess open source software alternatives (where these exist) alongside commercial software, and should choose based on cost, functionality, interoperability, and security. Slide 24: The International Landscape
Other Countries
• Many countries have open source policies
• Some (such as Argentina and Ecuador) mandate use of open source for all government agencies
• Most (such as Belgium) recommend consideration of open source and proprietary software looking for best fit and value for money
• Some (such as Cambodia and China) require government departments to show a preference for Open Source Slide 25: Australian Government Position on Open Source Software – 2005
• Informed Neutrality
• An unbiased position that does not favour either open source or proprietary software.
• ‘Value for money’
• In accordance with the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (CPGs). Slide 26: Australian Government Policy – 2011
• Australian Government agencies must consider open source software once a decision to acquire software has been made.
• Agreed by Secretaries’ ICT Governance Board (SIGB) on 21 December 2010 and applied to any ICT procurement initiated after 1 March 2011
• Subject to opt-out (Process for Administration of Opt-Outs from Whole-of Government ICT Arrangements): Agencies must go to Expenditure Review Committee (ERC) to opt-out of policy Slide 27: Open Source Software Policy Principles
Principle 1: Australian Government ICT procurement processes must actively and fairly consider all types of available software.
> $80K – Procurement Plan, RFT
< $80K – Document decision Slide 28: Open Source Software Policy Principles
Principle 2: Suppliers must consider all types of available software when dealing with Australian Government agencies.
Agencies à Tender documentation
Suppliers à RFT responses Slide 29: Open Source Software Policy Principles
Principle 3: Australian Government agencies will actively participate in open source software communities and contribute back where appropriate. Slide 30: Use of Open Source Software within the Australian Government
• AGIMO surveys all agencies annually
• 2011 survey showed almost 60 agencies were using open source software
• 2011 survey showed over 750 open source implementations with over 200 products in use
Image: check list screenshot Slide 31: Use of Open Source Software within the Australian Government
• Open source is being used on many platforms including Windows, Solaris, Unix and Mac
• Applications include
– web platforms (such as Apache)
– operating systems (such as RedHat Linux)
– Geospatial applications (such as GeoNetwork)
– web browsers (such as Mozilla Firefox) Slide 32
“Australia is one of the countries that stands out for its OSS activity, particularly the participation of its communities on both a national and international level.”
Report on the International Status of Open Source Software 2010
National Open Source Software Observatory
(www.cenatic.es) Slide 33: The Future
Image: future highway
AGIMO will continue to monitor OSS usage within government and will review the effectiveness of the new policy in the first half of 2012
Gartner predicts:
– By 2016, 50% of leading non-IT organisations will use OSS as a business strategy to gain competitive advantage
– By 2016, OSS will be included in mission-critical software portfolios within 99% of Global 2000 enterprises (compared with 75% in 2010) Slide 34: Further Information
Guide to Open Source Software for Australian Government Agencies
• Updated version released June 2011 (available from Finance website)
Open Source Software Community of Interest
• Information sharing forum for members of the APS
• Meets several times a year Slide 35: Contact
• Email: [email protected]
• Finance Website: http://www.finance.gov.au/e-government/strategy-and- governance/Whole-of-Government-ICT-Policies.html Slide 36: Thank you
Thank you