The top most influential factor for deploying open source technology in Australia, Korea, India and the People's Republic of China is better protection against security breaches, according to a survey by IDC. "The results indicate that organizations perceived open source technology as providing better security compared to proprietary products," said Prianka Srinivasan, a software market analyst with IDC Asia/Pacific.

The survey results also suggest that organizations in India and the People's Republic of China (PRC) deployed open source technology more than their counterparts in Australia and Korea. Furthermore, as expected, a larger number of small and medium size businesses (SMBs) in all four countries were deploying open source technology compared to large businesses.

The IDC survey measured key factors contributing to the deployment of open source technology. Top factors cited by respondents include:

• Provides better protection against security
• Budget constraints
• Sufficient support from vendors
• Availability of required functionalities
• Better management tools and utilities
• Recommended by fellow industry peers
• Preference of open standard adoption compared to proprietary products

"Though cost-efficiency remains a key decision factor, the results also suggest that organizations look forward to leverage open source technology to primarily fulfill their requirements for specific functionalities instead of widespread deployment," said Srinivasan.

When segmenting the data by company size, it emerged that SMBs in all four countries deployed open source technology primarily to ensure protection from security threats, which is similar to large organizations in Australia, India and the PRC. Large organizations from Korea, however, cited better management tools and utilities as the leading factor.

"IDC believes that open source technology and software will appear in the higher end of the application stack in the coming years. Commercial vendors of open source software will need to provide extensive support and training services, as well as address the issues of interoperability, in order to take advantage of the addressable market for open source technology in the region," added Srinivasan.

About this study

The IDC report, "The Momentum of Open Source: Adoption Plans and Challenges in Australia, Korea, India and the People's Republic of China", provides insights into current software adoption trends and spending plans for enterprises in different Asia/Pacific markets. The survey targeted respondents who are responsible for, or are the most knowledgeable about, an organization's overall software procurement and deployment. A typical respondent holds an IT manager or IT director position. The survey was executed in four countries, Australia, China, India and Korea, with a total unweighted sample size of 1004. In addition to current and future adoption trends of open source technology, the survey profiles leading vendors' offerings and value propositions, and provides strategic and tactical recommendations to vendors who have plans to capitalize on the increasing market demand.

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