Compare and Contrast: Open Standards, COTS, Open Source and SOA

CONFIDENTIAL: All capabilities and dates are for planning purposes only and may not be used in any contract

COTS, Open Source, SOATrends Facing Human Services

Agencies

Amy Santenello

Sr. Manager

Public Sector Product Strategy


A Shifting Focus in Delivery of Human Services

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Implications

• Increased focus on cross-organizational requirements• COTS• Open Source

• Expanded need to access information outside the confines of an individual agency• SOA


Federal COTS Memo

• May 2, 2005- Memorandum No. IM 05-04

• Recognition that COTS products are mature

• Prior to selecting COTS, Jurisdictions should should conduct broad, in-depth business, technical and financial analyses that incorporate all human service agencies, both current and future.


Key Questions When Evaluating COTS…• How frequently does the company upgrade its

software?• Does the company have an application roadmap in

place?• Does the company own its IP?• Has the company been reimbursed for software

licenses? (by what 100% of its customers?)• Can you configure the system?• To What extent are attributes configurable?

• Who is the companies go-to market partners?


Ensuring the COTS Vendor is Committed to HHS..

• What is the companies presence in Government?• What is the companies application roadmap as it

relates to HHS?• Does the company have any HHS customers?• How many customers has the company gained over

the last year?• How does HHS fit into the companies growth

strategy?• What HHS enhancements has the company made to

its products in the past year?


Drive for Information Access

Industry Push to Leverage Standards and SOA to Access information outside Direct IT environment


SOA.. Enabling Industry Standardization

• Globalization Pushed Demand for Standardization

• Currently more standardization in getting a product from Honduras to Vermont (two high tech Mecca's of the world), than from one IT agency to the other


SOA: IT’s Answer to Standardization

• Standardization within Middleware to enable Communication across Apps

• Standardization amongst Apps Vendors to Enable communication with Middleware

• Separation of business logic, workflow and rules from UI to enable consolidated portals

Fusion MiddlewareFusion Middleware HUBS BPELSecurity Portal

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Open Standards Enabling Open Source

• Benefits of Open Source:• No application license• Built around the needs of a specific function• Communal IP

• Disadvantages of Open Source:• No Application Roadmap• Built to meet the needs of a specific function• Requires On-going In-house investment• No Guarantee of application currency

Open Source Is A Viable Option for Human Services Agencies, But Must be Viewed in the Context of Larger

Strategy


So Where Is This All Heading?

• Shift from Program Centric View To Information Centric View• No longer about administration of Human Services, Its About Self-

Sufficiency

• Requires Focus on Information Management• Where does information reside, what standards need to be in-place

to access information

• Drives Business Discussions Around Measurement, Workforce Planning, Outcomes• Investment decisions COTS vs. Transfer vs. Open Source• Identification of agency and cross-agency KPI’s

• Results in a Heterogeneous IT environment consolidated through portals and roles specific dashboards

Documents

Compare and Contrast: Open Standards, COTS, Open Source and SOA