Red Hat has been doing what it's doing for quite a while now, and so far, it seems to be working out pretty well. Every once in a while, though, along comes a little independent validation about the viability of open source in the business world that deserves to be called out.
The most recent example is from The New York Times, specifically, an article that (rightly) highlights the need for data analytics and shepherding in the big data arena. As you might have guessed, I am personally in agreement with this point, because for a long time in big data there's been a whole lot of data gathering and not a lot of data analysis. What analysis there has been has been rife with a great deal of inane conclusions ("consumers love Product X!") and the occasional cool data analysis that makes you actually think about the world around you.
Given that it's human beings that are managing and looking at this data, that's to be expected, I suppose. We live in a world of mediocrity punctuated by flashes of brilliance. It's these flashes that tend to be remembered and have a legacy, and in this same article, there's an undercurrent that highlights – in a matter-of-fact tone – the brilliance of open source.
"Take Cask, a start-up in Silicon Valley founded in 2011, backed by leading venture capitalists and led by former Facebook and Yahoo engineers. In late September, the promising young company changed both its name and its business model — moving to supplying open-source software and trying to make money on technical support and consulting rather than on proprietary products."
This one paragraph is what made the point so well: just a nonchalant outline of what Cask, a Hadoop applications development company, has had to do to be nimble in the Boomtown atmosphere of Big Data right now. No explanations beyond this paragraph of what open source is or why it is the spawn of demons/greatest thing since sliced bread. Just the facts, and how Cask is faring with their call to change course.
The article is not about Cask, mind you; it's about how companies can generate revenue around big data. But the mentions of other companies who rely on open source software in their business models, such as Hortonworks and Cloudera, only serves to make the point. Organizations who are building on open source technologies are the ones who are making money in this space, which is a far cry from the traditional proprietary "lock it down" path many start ups have tried in the past.
In the course of rounding up successful and potentially successful companies in big data, Steve Lohr's piece has implicitly highlighted the benefits of open source at the same time. And it's the lack of fanfare that makes the point that much stronger.
À propos de l'auteur
Brian Proffitt is Senior Manager, Community Outreach within Red Hat's Open Source Program Office, focusing on enablement, community metrics and foundation and trade organization relationships. Brian's experience with community management includes knowledge of community onboarding, community health and business alignment. Prior to joining Red Hat in 2013, he was a technology journalist with a focus on Linux and open source, and the author of 22 consumer technology books.
Parcourir par canal
Automatisation
Les dernières actualités en matière de plateforme d'automatisation qui couvre la technologie, les équipes et les environnements
Intelligence artificielle
Actualité sur les plateformes qui permettent aux clients d'exécuter des charges de travail d'IA sur tout type d'environnement
Services cloud
En savoir plus sur notre gamme de services cloud gérés
Sécurité
Les dernières actualités sur la façon dont nous réduisons les risques dans tous les environnements et technologies
Edge computing
Actualité sur les plateformes qui simplifient les opérations en périphérie
Infrastructure
Les dernières nouveautés sur la plateforme Linux d'entreprise leader au monde
Applications
À l’intérieur de nos solutions aux défis d’application les plus difficiles
Programmes originaux
Histoires passionnantes de créateurs et de leaders de technologies d'entreprise
Produits
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux
- Red Hat OpenShift
- Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform
- Services cloud
- Voir tous les produits
Outils
- Formation et certification
- Mon compte
- Ressources développeurs
- Assistance client
- Calculateur de valeur Red Hat
- Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog
- Rechercher un partenaire
Essayer, acheter et vendre
Communication
- Contacter le service commercial
- Contactez notre service clientèle
- Contacter le service de formation
- Réseaux sociaux
À propos de Red Hat
Premier éditeur mondial de solutions Open Source pour les entreprises, nous fournissons des technologies Linux, cloud, de conteneurs et Kubernetes. Nous proposons des solutions stables qui aident les entreprises à jongler avec les divers environnements et plateformes, du cœur du datacenter à la périphérie du réseau.
Sélectionner une langue
Red Hat legal and privacy links
- À propos de Red Hat
- Carrières
- Événements
- Bureaux
- Contacter Red Hat
- Lire le blog Red Hat
- Diversité, équité et inclusion
- Cool Stuff Store
- Red Hat Summit