About OSPO Now
Our mission is to empower organizations to thrive through the strategic use of open-source solutions, fostering sustainability, and maximizing impact. We are committed to providing tailored strategies and solutions that elevate the adoption of open-source best practices.
We envision a world where organizations achieve peak efficiency using open-source best practice guided by in-house and virtual open source program offices (OSPOs).
Open Source
What is open source? Open-source code is any computer code that has been publicly released under an open-source license, which means you can freely access, use, adapt, and share the code. At OSPO Now, we also talk a lot about Open Source (capitalized 'OS'), which refers to best practice principles that have evolved over time in communities developing and using open-source code. These principles focus on transparency, accessibility, findability, reusability, user-centered design, and more.
Why should you care about open source? Whether you are creating or using software, there is a very high chance that you are engaging with open source. Open source can save development costs, provide more transparency over important software you depend on, and allow your clients to feel more connected to your product. Even if you don't produce software, Open Source principles can maximize efficiency within your company by reducing duplicative work, increasing internal transparency, and helping to bring the positive and collaborative nature of open source into your own company.
Look through our services to see how open source can help your company today.
A Virtual OSPO
What is an OSPO? There are a huge number of benefits to using open source, but we won't pretend it is risk free. Commonly cited reasons not to depend on open-source software are fears around competition seeing your code, depending on code that could be abandoned at any time, or not understanding the legal complexities behind all the licenses. To tackle these risks, companies may create an in-house open source program office or 'OSPO', to oversee internal open-source policies and standards and to be the point of contact for any questions around open source.
Why should you use a virtual OSPO? Your open source needs are likely to vary significantly over time, from auditing internal processes, to developing Open Source strategies, or even releasing your own open-source software. While an in-house OSPO can help you along this path, our virtual solution may provide a more flexible alternative that can be quickly adapted to your needs, without you having to worry about growing or shrinking your own OSPO. And when you don't need an in-house office full-time, our team are available on retainer so you can tap into our expertise at any time. If an in-house OSPO is for you, then we're happy to help you hire and grow your team, and to supplement your OSPO with extra resources when required.