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More than 70 Percent of IT Professionals in the U.S. Prefer Open Source to Proprietary Software for Continuity, Control
[November 19, 2014]

More than 70 Percent of IT Professionals in the U.S. Prefer Open Source to Proprietary Software for Continuity, Control


DALLAS --(Business Wire)--

Zimbra, a global leader in unified collaboration software, today announced the results of the Ponemon Institute's (News - Alert) "The Open Source Collaboration Study: Viewpoints on Security and Privacy in the U.S. and EMEA" report. The study surveyed 1,398 IT and IT security practitioners to learn about their companies' involvement in the use of open source messaging and collaboration solutions, and their views on security and privacy.

Business continuity and control eclipse cost savings are the top reasons why U.S. IT professionals prefer open source to proprietary software. According to the study, more than 70 percent of IT professionals in the U.S agree that commercial open source software provides more control and ensures better business continuity than proprietary software. This new research shows that cost savings are no longer the hallmark of open source in the minds of IT professionals, with the ability to lower costs ranking below quality in importance. This viewpoint is echoed by IT and IT security practitioners in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Findings from the survey, which was conducted in the U.S. as well as in 18 EMEA countries, show that 67 percent of IT professionals in EMEA agree with their American counterparts that commercial open source outperforms proprietary software when it comes to business continuity. However, IT practitioners in the U.S. and EMEA disagree on the security and privacy risks associated with collaboration and messaging platforms, both open source and proprietary. Throughout the study, there is evidence that EMEA organizations are more concerned with the privacy consequences of messaging and collaboration; U.S. organizations focus more on security.

Common among IT professionals is dissatisfaction with their current collaboration and messaging platforms, the majority of which are proprietary software solutions. Consequently, 55 percent of U.S. respondents and 52 percent of EMEA respondents say their organizations will be replacing their messaging and collaboration solutions within two years.

"One of the most interesting survey results was the slow adoption of open source messaging and collaboration software, despite IT professionals' resounding trust in open source software," said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute. "With the majority of deployments being proprietary solutions and the sentiment largely negative, I would expect to see increased interest in new solutions that are based on commercial open source."

Key findings:

Commercial open source outperforms proprietary software in continuity, control, quality and cost.

  • Seventy-four percent of U.S. IT professionals agree that commercial open source software offers better continuity and control.
  • Sixty-six percent of IT practitioners in the U.S. agree that commercial open source software means fewer bugs, and 63 percent believe it will boost quality compared to proprietary software.
  • The ability to lower costs is no longer the main point of differentiation for open source software, according to IT professionals in the U.S. and EMEA; business continuity, control and quality rank above cost concerns, but all outperform proprietary software in the minds of IT professionals.

Employees increase privacy and security risks.

  • U.S. employees put their organizations' security and privacy at risk. According to U.S. IT professionals:
    • Eighty-ine percent of employees do not follow company policy on sharing confidential documents.
    • Eighty percent of employees send and receive files not intended for them.
    • Seventy-four percent of employees use unauthorized messaging and collaboration applications



IT professionals' dissatisfaction with proprietary software is an opportunity for open source.

  • Fifty-six percent of U.S. IT professionals are only somewhat satisfied or are not satisfied with their current messaging and collaboration solutions, the majority of which come from proprietary software vendors.
  • Fifty-five percent of IT professionals in the U.S. plan to replace their messaging and collaboration solutions within two years.
  • Ease of use is the most important factor for selecting a messaging and collaboration solution according to 65 percent of IT professionals in the U.S.

"There is significant opportunity for open source to play a central role in the future of security and privacy across the U.S. and EMEA," said Rob Howard, Zimbra (News - Alert) chief technology officer. "And, the research supports a trend that we see in our own business; open source provides far more benefit than cost savings alone. It delivers on quality and control, and it empowers IT to make an impact on more than just the bottom line."


The full report, "The Open Source (News - Alert) Collaboration Study: Viewpoints on Security and Privacy in the U.S. and EMEA" is available today. Visit Zimbra.com to read the report.

Additional resources:

Survey methodology

The purpose of this research was to learn from IT and IT security practitioners about their companies' involvement in the use of open source messaging and collaboration solutions, and their perceptions about the benefits. The survey was conducted by the Ponemon Institute on behalf of Zimbra, and findings presented in the report, "The Open Source Collaboration Study: Viewpoints on Security and Privacy in the US and EMEA," were sponsored by Zimbra. A sampling frame of 17,680 U.S. and 16,700 EMEA experienced IT and IT security practitioners were selected as participants for this survey. By design, 79 percent of U.S. respondents and 74 percent of EMEA respondents are at or above the supervisory levels. The final sample consisted of 1,398 surveys or a 4.1 percent response rate for the U.S. and 4 percent response rate for EMEA. Respondents include 723 IT and IT security practitioners in the United States and 675 IT and IT security practitioners in the following 18 EMEA countries: United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russian Federation, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Poland, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Ireland, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Israel and Greece.

About Zimbra

Zimbra connects people and information with unified collaboration software that includes email, calendaring, file sharing, activity streams, social networks and more. With technology designed for social, mobile and the cloud, Zimbra gives individuals the flexibility to work from virtually anywhere, through nearly every computer, tablet and mobile device.

Zimbra's software is trusted globally by service providers, governments and companies, with over 200,000 accessing Zimbra in the cloud managed by our worldwide network of service providers. With customers including NTT Communications, Comcast, Dell (News - Alert), Rackspace, Red Hat, Mozilla, H&R Block and Vodafone, a vibrant open source community and worldwide partner network, Zimbra is the third-largest collaboration provider in the world. Zimbra is privately held with corporate headquarters in Frisco, Texas and offices in San Mateo, California; London; Tokyo; Singapore and Pune, India. For more information, visit Zimbra.com or connect with us on TwitterFacebook and LinkedIn.

About Ponemon Institute

Ponemon Institute is dedicated to advancing responsible information and privacy management practices in business and government. To achieve this objective, the Institute conducts independent research, educates leaders from the private and public sectors and verifies the privacy and data protection practices of organizations in a variety of industries. For more information, visit www.ponemon.org.


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