Cost savings are "still the primary driver for organizations choosing open-source software," according to Jay Lyman, an analyst at The 451 Group (News - Alert).

Industry observer Mary Brandel writes that while this is the case, at least initially, "that impression seems to change after adoption, when more users report that flexibility is the primary benefit they enjoy rather than cost savings," citing Lyman.

"With the downspin of the economy, how you spend your money is critically important," Bassim Hamadeh, founder of University Readers, which uses SugarCRM (News - Alert) software, told Brandel. "But beyond saving money, what we look for is better software."

TMCnet's Brendan Read reported recently that open source software, which is written with source code that is widely available with little or no proprietary copyrights, is now entering contact centers "and for several good reasons. These chief ones include lower price points," among others.

Open source, Read says, "delivers these benefits because there are no licensing costs as there is with proprietary software and it has spawned a large and growing community of developers who believe in the concept."

Not that price is always the only consideration, of course. Hamadeh tells Brandel that SugarCRM offers enough flexibility that when the IT team wants to add a feature to the Web site, "it first considers creating it in SugarCRM. It's not a closed-circuit environment."

Jon Brisbin, portal Webmaster at NPC International, told Brandel that "flexibility is the most important thing that we realize from open source, but being realistic, cost is right up there as a close second."

As Read notes, however, "Open, though, does not necessarily mean 'free'. While there is open-source-written freeware available directly via the Web, most applications that can meet the demanding needs of contact centers are packaged, hosted/delivered and supported by suppliers for fees. Those vendors typically offer a mix of core paid and free features."