Promoting Openness and Freedom of Choice

Noel Cuschieri and Malcolm MizziMITA

22nd October 2010

Why Openness?

• Increasing Collaboration opportunities• Reducing barriers for Creativity and Innovation• Increasing Transparency and Visibility• Improving inter-operation

• Empower the User with maximum Choice

“If it’s not open it’s not the internet”

Vint Cerf, one of the Fathers of the Internet

Openness has its own challenges

• The term “open” can create ambiguity and a false sense of security

• “Openness” might require more work

How much openness?

Openness has its own challenges

• The term “open” can create ambiguity and a false sense of security

• “Openness” might require more work

What opennessrequirements are

appropriate to this context ?

Best Value for our Investment=

What is MITA doing to promote Openness?

OpenOpen as a as a Key Guiding PrincipleKey Guiding Principle in in MITAMITA’’ss strategystrategy ::

““ MITA will embrace the application of open standards and

technologies as a matter of policy coupled with the smart application

of open source applications and systems, this approach will ensure

that the Agency is geared toward harnessing its benefits in large-

scale public implementations ””MITA Strategic Plan 2009-2012

What is a Standard?

ISO defines a Standard as follows:ISO defines a Standard as follows:

“ Documented agreements containing technical specifications or other precise criteria to be used as consistent guidelines or

definitions of characteristics to ensure that products, processes or

services are fit for their purpose ”

Standards can be useful for:

• Repeatability

• Compatibility

What makes a Standard “open” in the IT world?

Open Standards principles:Open Standards principles:1. Participatory openness and transparency in the

standard development process2. The absence of barriers to competition and multiple

competing implementations3. Maximum technical interoperability among

heterogeneous systems as a means to enable maximum user choice

Calling a standard “open ” makes a clear distinction against so-called “closed ”, “de facto ” or “proprietary ”standards which may favour a single organisation or a small group of organisations only.

How is MITA promoting Open Standards?

• MITA launches an Open Standards Policy and Directive :– Adopt Open Standards when procuring ICT Systems

– All ICT standards recognised by MITA are listed in the Adopted Specifications List (GMICT X 0071)

– Avoid multiple standards for the same business requirement

• The adoption of Open Standards will result in a number of tangible benefits namely: – Reduced vendor lock-in and dependency on specific hardware

and software– Easier integration between ICT systems– Efficient re-use of existing ICT resources– Improved access to public information

GMICT Policy Framework: www.ictpolicies.gov.mt

What’s next?Common Assessment Method for adopting Standards within Government

Government

Business Community Standard

Evaluation TeamRecommend adoption of international ICT Standard

MITA

Standard Evaluation Board

Adopted Specifications

Publish Standard

Contributory Bodies

GMICT Policies

Open Standards key for better Interoperability

� A web enabled one stop shop for Interoperabilityrelated activities and information

� Open Standards guidance, request process and latest ideas

� Discuss real life technical issues and explore their solutions

Openness beyond technology

Thank You

CONTENT

• What is Open Source?

• Misconceptions

• Strategic Direction

• Vision Paper

• Principles

• Opportunities

• The Policy/ Directive

The basic definition embraced is based on the OSI perspective

� Source code availability

� Licensing and Distribution aspects

• Solution redistribution (solution, source and manuals)

• No additional license for redistribution

• Modifications and redistributions of modified versions

• Author’s source code Integrity

• License not product specific

What is Open Source?

OSS MisconceptionsMisconceptions Considerations

OSS = cost savings- Type of License- Calculation of TCO*

Open Standards = Open Source Software

Open Standards: Documented technical specifications serving as guidelines

Free Software = Open Source Software

Sharing common attributes however Free Software (FSF) focuses more on the Freedom of software, rather then the source and license aspect

Open Source = Free - Type of License- Calculation of TCO*

OSS = low-quality OSS quality can equate to commercial Proprietary Software

Proprietary vendors do not acknowledge OSS

Vendors are adopting OSS principles

* Considerations should include Training, Support and Exit Costs

MITA Business Plan (2009MITA Business Plan (2009 --2012)2012)

“ Accelerate the adoption of cost-effective and non disruptive deployments of Open Source

Software (OSS) within Government.”

OSS Strategic Direction

• Reviewing the application of Open Source in Government

• Identifying best of breed Open Source products • Non-intrusive implementation of key Open Source

initiatives • Launching an Open Source Observatory • Enabling the proliferation of Open Source Software

OSS in use internally at MITAOSS in use internally at MITA

PDFCreatorPDFCreator

• Promotes the adoption of “Freedom of Choice”

• Adopts a set of ‘Freedom Characteristics ’ in the appropriate context� The freedom to:

� redistribute copies so you can help your neighbour;� distribute copies of your modified versions to others; � run any program, for any purpose;� study how programmes work and change it to do what you wish.

• Ensures equal level play between OSS and Proprietary Software in the procurement of software solutions

• Promotes appropriate OSS awareness programmes� Participation in the EC Open Source Software Expert Groups� World Plone Day

• Promotes increased collaboration and re-use concepts at source level� Open Source Observatory and Repository / OSS User Groups

The Strategic Principles

• Establish Policy and Directive

• Setup an OSOR / Forge

• Core Set of OSS apps. in Corporate list

• Identify an Open Source CMS

• Identify programmes to promote OSS within education

• Establish and nurture the OSS user group

Objectives – The Vision

Guidelines ensuring quality in the OSS procured by Government

• Cost Effective- TCO, Exit, Training and Support costs etc.- Use of OSS in part or in full to minimise long term costs

• Non-Disruptive- Meeting business requirements, Security/Desktop Agnostic

principles, Supporting Internationalisation etc.

• Promote the adoption of an appropriate Open Source Business Model

• OSS Licensing - EUPL, GNU GPL and FreeBSD- allowing free redistribution of solution if applicable- allowing modification of solution in part or in full - allowing solution re-use in other solutions

• Registration of solutions under Government OSOR Intranet or OSOR.eu

The Policy and Directive are published on http://ictpolicies.gov.mt

The Policy / Directive

Thank You