Transcript Open Source Software for Small Business

Jason G. Caudill
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Carson-Newman College
OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE FOR
SMALL BUSINESS
Introduction
 Businesses need technology resources to
operate
 Commercial software licenses can be
expensive
 Open source software alternatives can
provide technology resources without
licensing fees
 The functionality of the software is key
What is Open Source?
 Software that is freely distributed
 Software the freely distributes not only the
software, but also the source code
 Source code: the programming language behind a
computer program
Benefits of Open Source
 Communities of
developers can work
simultaneously to:
 Fix identified problems
 Create program
extensions
 Create plug-ins to
expand program
capabilities
 What do these benefits
add up to?
 Faster development
times
 Faster responses to
problems
 More responsive to user
requests
Advantages to Small Business
 License Costs:
 No purchase fees
 No fees to upgrade to the next version
 Affordable to have infrequently used software
 Expansion Costs:
 Open source can be freely distributed to
employees for home use
 Additional workstations can be added without
additional licensing costs
Open Source Usability
Features
 Many open source products read
and save in the most popular
commercial file formats
 Many of the most popular open
source products are available for
Windows, Mac, and Linux operating
systems
Small Business is Unique
Capital/Liquidity
Staffing
 Small businesses need the
 Small businesses often
best results from minimum
investments to optimize
efficiency
 Open source programs
give businesses
productivity without
capital expenditures
can’t afford IT support or
training
 Open source offers active
user communities for
support
 Open source offers many
online tutorials for training
Open Source software gives small businesses technology resources
and support without requiring new expenditures or additional
staffing
Open Source Program Categories
 Productivity
 Office suites
 Communication
 Web browsers
 E-mail clients
 Voice communications
 Media
 Web editors
 Image editors
 Vector graphics
programs
 Desktop publishing
Open Source Office Suite
 .
 The Novell release, with the available Open XML
translator, is compatible with Office 2007 –
available here
 This is a great example of the benefits of
communities of developers!
 Includes: word processor, presentation
creator, spreadsheet, database, and drawing
program
Web Browser
 .
 Powerful, full-featured, multi-platform web
browser
 Expandable – many plug-ins give Firefox
great tools to make web browsing and
research easier
 Available from www.mozilla.org
E-mail Client
 .
 Full-featured, multiplatform e-mail client
 Supports POP and IMAP e-mail
 Excellent SPAM filter
 Will host multiple accounts
 Available from www.mozilla.org
Voice Communication
 .
 Call system management
 Supports Voice Over IP (VOIP) telephony
 Can provide voicemail, telephony web
interface, or a conference bridge
 Available at http://www.asterisk.org/
Web Editor
 .
 A What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG)
web editor
 Supports advanced features like templates,
forms, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and has
an integrated File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
server
 Tag and HTML editing is also available
 Online at http://www.kompozer.net/
Image Editing
 .
 The GNU Image Manipulation Program
(GIMP)
 Basic and advanced image editing including
cropping, brightness and contrast controls,
multiple layers, filters, and editing masks
 Online at http://www.gimp.org/
Vector Graphics
 .
 Useful for creation of original images
 Vector graphics are good for creating logos,
illustrations, and other images
 Vector graphics are scalable – they can be
altered to different sizes without distortion
 Online at http://www.inkscape.org/
Desktop Publishing
 .
 Provides options for creating professional
print publications such as newsletters, flyers,
and other documents
 Online at http://www.scribus.net/
Conclusion
 Selecting the proper selection of software can
provide small businesses with necessary
technical resources
 Even the smallest companies have the ability
to produce and use integrated technology
solutions
 For more open source options go to
www.sourceforge.net or
http://www.osalt.com/
Contact
 Contact Jason at [email protected] or
via his website at www.jasoncaudill.com