FOSS Business Models Materials by It@InWEnt
Table of Content of this page:
InWEnt Programmes and Trainings on FOSS Business Models
Overview of InWEnt Main Capacity Building Programmes and Trainings
1) FOSS-Bridge EU-Vietnam
1.1 High Level Training Course on FOSS Business Models and Innovation Strategies for Trainers of SMEs (2008)
2) it@foss - Promoting Free and Open Source Software in Southeast Asia
2.1 FOSS@Work: Conference for Small to Medium Enterprises in the IT Industry with focus on Business Models (2006)
2.2 "Asia Source II", Indonesia: FOSS for SMEs and NGOs in Asia (2007)
2.3 Linux Training as a Business (2007-2008)
3) ict@innovation: FOSS Business Models for Africa
3.1 "Business Models and Community Development", a Track at the Idlelo 3 Conference in Dakar, Senegal (2008)
3.2 Development of a Capacity Building Programme on “African FOSS Business Models and Skills for ICT-based SMEs”, Workshop after Idlelo3, Senegal (2008)
3.3 FOSS Business Models for Sustainable Development - Presentation by InWEnt at conference "Free Knowledge, Free Technology", Barcelona (2008)
3.4. Open Source Software Perspectives in the Southern African Network it@ab, A report (2005)
Selection of external training material and information
BLOGS
FOSS Business Models and Development Overview of InWEnt's programmes and trainings
The use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) is not only becoming more and more common by companies and administrations worldwide, it is also becoming a method for innovative IT-companies to achieve higher turnover. According to studies, more than 60.000 companies are already building their businesses around the development of - and/or provision of service for - Free and Open Source Software in the European Union.
But, business models based on FOSS offer great potential for developing and transition countries as well, as the development and distribution of FOSS follows the principles of ownership, local value addition, empowerment and participation. Thereby, FOSS provides ample opportunities for the development of a local ICT economy, creation and transfer of ICT knowledge, legal use of software and access of poorer communities to ICTs. With more and more governments such as South Africa, Brazil and others promoting FOSS and becoming potential customers, more and more small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are discovering FOSS as a theme for building their businesses.
However, the corresponding increase in demand for competent ICT service providers has not yet been satisfactorily met. Therefore, InWEnt has focused in the past years on working with ICT associations, their members, ICT-training institutions, universities as well as other change agents of the ICT field to spread practical key knowledge on adapted business models in the field of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) to small and medium IT enterprises (IT-SME).
Thereby, InWEnt has gathered a stock of expertise around networking, implementing, training and promoting of FOSS business models in a developmental context as well as an extended network of trainers and other stakeholders, which is shared in the following. "How to create innovative local businesses with FOSS" is the common theme of our approach.
The first part of this website gives an overview of the activities and training material of InWEnt related to FOSS business models. The second part consists of a selection of links and other external materials, related to FOSS business models and sustainable human development.
If you have additional suggestions for material to be included here or if you would like to know more about InWEnt's work in this area, please contact us at:
http://www.it-inwent.org/e38/index_eng.html
Overview of InWEnt's Main Capacity Building Programmes and Trainings
1) FOSS-Bridge EU-Vietnam
1.1 High Level Training Course on FOSS Business Models and Innovation Strategies for Trainers of SMEs (2008)
FOSS Bridge "EU Vietnam" brings European and Vietnamese FOSS companies together to help Vietnamese enterprises not only to use FOSS products, but also to adapt free software to local needs and encourage them to contribute to the development of international Free and Open Source Software.
One of the trainings FOSS Bridge EU-Vietnam organized was "High Level Training course on FOSS business models and innovation strategies for trainers of SMEs" with a focus on potential FOSS Business Models for Vietnam.
The training material includes the following topics:
- FOSS entering the global and local business world and ecosystems (evolution of communities, ecosystem, software market)
- Open standards (lock-in strategies and aversion etc)
- Global and local FOSS usage models
- Emerging FOSS business models for developing countries (linkage between licence and models, windows of opportunity, incorporating FOSS in existing business models, added value etc)
- FOSS based open innovation (non-linear processes, commoditization, modularity, open innovation, public incentives etc)
- From FOSS tactics to enterprise strategy (revenue sources, business risks etc)
Link to training slides
(More training material is available at the Wiki, password can be obtained through Mr Balthas Seibold at balthas.seibold [at] inwent.org)
Link to the Wiki
Link to project website with information on joint business of twinned European and Vietnamese companies
2) it@foss - Promoting Free and Open Source Software in Southeast Asia
2.1 FOSS@Work: Conference for Small to Medium Enterprises in the IT Industry with Focus on Business Models (2006)
In November 2006, InWEnt and IOSN Asean+3 organized the foss@work conference. This event aimed at raising awareness for "FOSS Business" and assisting in the acceleration of FOSS adoption by networking IT SMEs. Developers, senior IT staff and IT-decision makers came together to discuss FOSS business models, FOSS architecture and community management skills. foss@work produced numerous results on FOSS business models in Southeast Asia, such as the presentation "FOSS is Ideal for SMEs " by Patrick D. Reidenbach.
Link to a summary of the session "FOSS is Ideal for SMEs" by Patrick D. Reidenbach
Link to program information
Link to Conference Wiki
2.2 "Asia Source II", Indonesia: FOSS for SMEs and NGOs in Asia (2007)
Over 130 IT professionals of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from more than 27 countries gathered at Sukabumi, Indonesia for a nine-day Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) training camp called “ASIA SOURCE II” from 22-30 January 2007. The key objective was to promote the use of FOSS for social and economic development and to build a network of FOSS practitioners and trainers in Asia. The event featured numerous interactive workshops dwelling on FOSS and business opportunities such as:
- "FOSS Business Models" - Afternoon session by Bona Simanjuntak and Sunil Abraham
- Online strategies for marketeers - Afternoon session by Dina Mehta
- How to spread the word on FOSS through training - Afternoon session by Balthas Seibold
- Implementation and Migration - Morning track focussing on "Moving and NGO or SME from proprietory software to FOSS"
- SME-in-a-box: prototype of selected FOSS software for SMEs - specialized session.
2.3 Linux Training as a Business (2007-2008)
This 10-day workshop aimed at certifying Linux-experts with the LPI-1 (Linux Professional Institute, level 1) certification and was organized in Hanoi, July 2007. Apart from certification, InWEnt and IOSN Asean +3 added 2 days on business models into the curriculum. In this way, the participants not only gained additional technical skills, but also gained perspectives on the ways FOSS can generate income. An example of this is the presentation Winston Damarillo held on Business Models, where he gives an overview about business opportunities for FOSS.
Link to presentation on "Business Models" by Winston Damarillo
3) ict@innovation: Business Models for Africa
3.1 "Business Models and Community Development", a Track at the Idlelo 3 Conference in Dakar, Senegal (2008)
The programme ict@innovation aims at strengthening Southern and East African IT SMEs in their technical, innovative and business capacity with Free and Open Source Software. The program was launched at the IDLELO 3 conference, held in March 2008 in Dakar, Senegal. This conference focused on the use of ICTs within the African context through FOSS. In cooperation with FOSSFA, InWEnt organized a track about "Business Models and Community Development". The topics discussed in the track on business models included:
- Free Software for a Free Africa (John 'Maddog' Hall, USA)
- Economics of FLOSS business Models (Karsten Gerloff, UNU Merit, Netherlands)
- Connecting and sustaining linkages between technical communities and business (Alex Gakuru, Kenya)
- Business through FOSS - Open Source bundle for SME in Ethiopia (Thomas Rolf, GTZ, Project Leader on-e, ecbp, Ethiopia)
- Business Models adopted by OPENWORLD (Dorcas Muthoni Gachari, Openworld, Kenya)
- African FOSS Business Model - a Panel Discussion with Alex Gakuru. James Wire Lunghabo, Arnold Pietersen, Christian Roland and Dorcas Muthoni Gachari
- Launch of InWEnt's new programme ict@innovation (Balthas Seibold, InWEnt, Germany)
3.2 Development of a Capacity Building Programme on “African FOSS Business Models and Skills for ICT-based SMEs”, Workshop after Idlelo3, Senegal (2008)
The planning workshop on the programme ict@innovation was held in conjunction with Idlelo 3 in Senegal and worked on a scenario for the ict@innovation pillar A. This Pillar is a capacity building programme on business related aspects of FOSS. The outcomes include several components related to FOSS business models such as:
- Possible topics for business-related FOSS trainings:
- African FOSS business models
- Cooperative vs Competition
- Access to financing for African IT-SMEs
- Market Intelligence(Research) , Sales and Marketing
3.3 FOSS Business Models for Sustainable Development - Presentation by InWEnt at conference "Free Knowledge, Free Technology", Barcelona (2008)
InWEnt was invited to give a presentation at the First International Conference on "Free Knowledge, Free Technology - Education for a free information society (July 15-17, 2008 , Barcelona, Spain). Balthas Seibold introduced InWEnt's work on FOSS Business Models for Development at the Panel discussion: "Free Software and business models".
Link to presentation "FOSS Business Models for Sustainable Development"
3.4. Open Source Software Perspectives in the Southern African Network it@ab, A report (2005)
This report by Patricia Cabero Tapia was elaborated in the context of the InWEnt-supported network "it@ab - the Southern African Knowledge Network on Information Technology in African Business”. It proposes general guidelines for the introduction of open source software (OSS) in the business portfolio of the African it@ab network taking into account research in the literature, the actual situation of the network and the results of a survey about this alternative.
Link to the report
Link to the webpage of the it@ab network
Selection of external training material and information
The following section consists of a selection of links and other external materials, which target the three areas of FOSS business models, capacity building and sustainable human development.
Reseraching ICT-Based Enterprise in Development Countries
Heeks, Richard 2008: Researching ICT-Based Enterprise in Development Countries: analytical tools and models, in: Development Informatics, Development Informatics Group
This text provides several analytical frameworks for studying ICT Business in developing countries. It aims to give researchers and entrepeneurs a conceptual business view on ICT companies operating in developmental countries. The topics decribed are not specific for FOSS, but put FOSS business models in a business developmental context.
Link to the publication
FOSS Business Models for Developing Countries in Asia (IOSN White paper)
Rahul De gives an overview of FOSS and its possible use for application in business as well as different business models that emerge from it. The Indian based author focuses his introduction on Business Models in Asia and explains "Strategies for FOSS Market Segments" in developing countries.
Link to IOSN White paper
Good to Great FOSS: Learnings from Africa (Workshop paper)
Gunn, Allen 2008: Good to Great FOSS: Learnings from Africa, IDRC
In this article, Allen Gunn of Aspiration describes the challenges and opportunities for the expansion of the use of FOSS in Africa. His chapter on Business Models describes the findings of a workshop in Kenya in 2007.
Link to IOSN White paper
FOSS - A Guide for SME
Floss-Metrics, a project funded by the European Union, aims at the creation of an extensive database on projects and expertise on FOSS and recently published a report on the use of FOSS for SMEs. Chapter 6 gives a very extensive overview of the different Business Models that SMEs can choose from.
Link to the publication
Business Models Based on Open Source Software (Research Paper)
Weerawarana, Sanjiva and Weeratunge, Jivaka 2004: Business Models Based on Open Source Software, in: Open Source in Developing Countries, p 24 - 26; Sida publishing.
Weerawarana and Weeratunge describe the general history of FOSS, as well as the possibilities they offer for developing countries. In this paper, they go into the perspectives of open source on the levels of government policy and development cooperation. Chapter 5 and Annex C go into business models for SMEs in developing countries.
Link to Publication
The Emerging Economic Paradigm of Open Source (Article)
Perens, Bruse 2005: The Emerging Economic Paradigm of Open Source
This article explains Free and Open Source Software within the capitalistic/free market paradigm. Perens takes on the view that FOSS is a viable economic alternative for proprietary software. Not only for end-users, but also as a way for SMEs to make a profit. In an easy to understand way he explains the different business strategies a company can choose from. In the chapter 'Who contributes to open source, and how do they fund that?', Perens describes the main actors within the FOSS economy and explains the way they operate their businesses.
Link to the publication
Seven Open Source Business Strategies
Koenig, John 2004: Open Source Business Strategies, Riseforth Inc.
Koenig describes strategies that companies choose to increase revenue. He explains these strategies with examples from big corporations for example: Amazon, Oracle, Google, Redhat and IBM.
link to publication
SELF Coursebook: Introduction to Free Software
self, 2008: Introduction to Free Software has been produced by self together with the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) with a number of recognised authors on the subjects of Free Software. The book provides an introduction to the inspiring world of Free Software, covering its main concepts, some of the most successful free software projects, the specifics of their development and the legal basis that free software licenses provide for the protection of users' freedoms. It also contains a large directory of glossary, bibliography and links to help the reader explore deeper into this field.
link to publication
If you have additional suggestions for material to be included here or if you would like to know more about InWEnt's work in this area, please contact us at:
http://www.it-inwent.org/e38/index_eng.html
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