washingtonpost.com
Data Storage Opens Up New Source of Work for IT Firms
(excerpt)
Agencies can benefit from the improvements made by others. Corporations have been using open-source operating systems, such as Linux and MySQL (Ouch. MySQL is an RDBMS, not an OS, but whatever...), which manage all the activities on computers, for years, and now they're getting a closer look in the public sector, as well.
For example, the Defense Information Systems Agency, the Defense Department's IT arm, is using open-source software in its human resources department, hoping to benefit from the changes others make to its code. The Navy also uses open-source systems.
Agencies typically pay for a subscription to access the software, and a company like Red Hat, which develops open-source systems, helps maintain the technology and fix glitches.
Red Hat, based in Raleigh, N.C., opened an office in Washington four years ago to cater to the government. The intelligence community has been one of the biggest users of open-source systems, said Paul Smith, general manager of Red Hat's public sector practice.
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"We've captured the early adopters," he said. "What we're doing now is capturing all the mainstreamers, who are asking questions like, 'Does it work, and is it secure?' "
Tresys Technology of Columbia partners with open-source companies such as Red Hat to provide added security features to the software products.
"The more people who are involved in building it, the better product we're going to get," said Gary Latham, Tresys executive vice president. Some government agencies have shied away from adopting open-source technology, often choosing to stick with the proprietary tools they are used to, such as Microsoft's software offerings. |
