A Field Study on the Barriers in the Assimilation of Open Source Server Software

Abstract

Abstract. An increasing number of academic studies have been devoted to the organizational adoption of open source software (OSS). Most studies have either focused on determining which reasons influence the adoption of OSS, or which barriers prevent the adoption of OSS. To our knowledge, no prior study has been conducted to determine which barriers exist to the further adoption of OSS in organizations. Studies addressing this issue could provide more insight into whether organizations are effectively able to overcome the initial barriers to adoption, or whether new barriers arise when the organization expands its use of OSS. To this end, we conducted a qualitative field study involving 56 organizations that were asked to report on which barriers existed to their further adoption of OSS. The data was analyzed using a mixed methods approach by combining both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Results showed that the main barrier reported by organizations was a lack of internal and external knowledge. Furthermore, our results indicate that there was no relationship between the barriers reported by organizations and their extent of OSS usage. This indicates that these barriers remain important as organizations increase their assimilation of OSS.

A Qualitative Study on the Adoption of Open Source Software in Information Technology Outsourcing Organizations

“…So, it is really worth it". The finding of the study is in line with the previous studies which indicated that an increase in reliability of OSS would enhance the adoption rate among users [14]. Consequently, the technology context attribute Relative Advantage was seen in terms of Reliability, and played an important role in OSS adoption.…”

“…Reliability: Studies [14] indicated that increase in reliability of the OSS would enhance the adoption rate among users. The study by Dedrick and West [15] claims that even in larger organizations, reliability played a significant role.…”

“…Organizations were concerned about smaller vendors offering OSS support, wherein the net worth of the vendor was many times less than the indemnification value and hence were perceived to be unstable (C2). This was highlighted by Ven & Verelst [14], wherein the long-term viability of small organizations were questioned. Consequently, the environment context attribute Network effects was seen in terms of Software vendor relationship and played an important role in OSS adoption.…”