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Any search engine query will turn up articles examining the computer security dangers of closed source versus open source software. But what we really need are more articles regarding the dangers of putting all of your eggs into the closed source basket with a closed source application that could some day go the way of the Dodo.

Proprietary-code nightmare

What happens when your company grows dependent on a particular software application, then finds out that the company that once supported this legacy application no longer is interested in supporting it? You might be surprised at how often this happens. To illustrate my point, I offer a fictional example based on a real company that I came into contact with a few years ago.

XYZ Inc. was a small company that made the mistake of building its entire business around a single closed source application. For years, the application served its needs with flying colors, but eventually the owners of XYZ Inc. realized that there was an issue with the database, as it was becoming unstable. Concerned, XYZ Inc. contacted the creator of the software, which we'll call ABC Inc., to question when an upgrade was to be released to deal with this stability problem.

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The response XYZ employees received nearly put their jaws on the floor. They were told point blank that the application was no longer being updated and had now been fazed out completely. Limited installation support remained, but this provided next to zero help for the company, which had made the mistake of building their business around the application.

After holding a lengthy company meeting, XYZ Inc. began the hunt for an alternative application in hopes of being able to migrate its critical business information into something that would hopefully be supported indefinitely. It was at this time I happened to come into the picture, and I was asked what they should do. I examined the application and then explained that they were locked into a proprietary file format and getting this data into something else would be near impossible at best.

With their backs against the wall, XYZ Inc. finally managed to locate a developer who was able to "unlock" this data, then create an open source alternative for them to use from that point on. What's interesting is that the bulk of the new solution that was selected for them already existed. It simply required limited tweaking to make it a custom fit for XYZ Inc.

Learning from the mistakes of others

While the arguments over whether open or closed source applications are more secure rage on, the fact remains that, in time, using open source could someday save your business unbelievable hassle and cost. XYZ Inc. employees found themselves in a pickle by putting the state of their business into the hands of a single company, which was under no contract to provide ongoing support for the mission critical software with their proprietary code.

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