Enterprise Initiatives

I just returned from a great vacation and saw that James McGovern had a few questions for me.


Question #1 (after reading Real World Open Source Solutions)

Mike Kavis believes that others should help spread the word that open source isn't just about Linux. Maybe Mike could talk about where folks get their information, such as all those advertising dollars paid by barely open source vendors and their outsourced PR departments otherwise known as industry analysts.

Getting information for open source software is not much different then getting information from closed source software. Yes, there is less conferences and less marketing/advertising, but those two sources should not be where you find all of your information. Leverage your network, read blogs, search the web for case studies where other companies have leveraged open source software to address specific areas like CRM, project management, database technology, portals, etc. I like to go to sourceforge.net and other popular sites and look at the number of downloads and the size of the community. Those two numbers can clue you in on which products to start researching in greater depth. I also use my Google Reader to follow articles on these sites: OpenSourceCommunity.org, OpenSources, OSS-Biz, NotJustLinux, OpenSourceUnleashed, and LinuxToday to name a few.

I wonder if Mike Kavis understands the simple truth that most enterprise architects don't actually know other enterprise architects in other enterprises. Many of us are insular in nature?

I do understand and that is one of the main reasons why both James and I have called for more EA Collaboration. EA's need to "get out" more and see what the rest of the world is doing. Why reinvent the wheel from scratch? Throw some ideas out there and see where the conversation leads. Add your two cents to other bloggers' opinions and contribute to the overall good of the community. If you disagree with a viewpoint explain why. Other EA's can read both view points and decide for themselves which approach is best or maybe a combination of the two makes more sense. I know that EA's don't actually know other EAs in other enterprises because I knew none before I started blogging back in March of this year. Now I have a great network comprised of talented individuals who share their thoughts on important topics.