Open Source Software and the Australian Government November 2011

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Open Source Software and the Australian Government November 2011

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

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