CSD Group, Open Source, and Revenue Models

We've created a bit of a buzz in the eGov universe and we expect the buzz to get a little louder in the coming weeks and months.   What's the big buzz?    The buzz is a multi-faceted buzz.   Here are the buzzy issues - from our perspective:

• There is a lop sided and perhaps unfair competition between "Copy Left" and "Copy Right" eGov web sites and web site "products".
• Wrapping our old-school-business-brains around the relatively new-school Open Source revenue models takes some tugging and stretching.
• How does a web development shop create both proprietary products and open source products?

Although this list of issues is fairly short, they are really huge, tip-of-the-iceberg, kind of issues which impact the way we at Community Site Design Group shape our business and how local governments buy software services and products moving into the future.

On one hand, Open Source sucks.   We've all heard about GPL and free software and all that.   And we've all asked the same question, at least those of us who've been in the business as long as I have, "How do software developers make any money with Open Source?".   Quite frankly, we're still scratching our heads over that one.    Apparently there are about three different revenue models that keep rising up.   And the only viable one from our perspective is the model which creates revenue - not from the software, but from the value added services we can provide to those who use the software we provide.   We mean services like hosting, training, maintenance and support.  

On the other hand, Open Source is wonderful.   Because Open Source software is often confused with free software and the free software movement, for all intents and purposes the software is becoming a natural loss leader for the other products and services software developers in this sphere may provide.   And the other wonderful this is that there are a ton of developers working to improve your Open Source product and we don't have to pay them a single nickel for their effort.

Open Source sucks.    But there is a price tag for free software and Open Source software.     Any developer, any 5th grade egghead or anybody with an internet connection for that matter, can download, use, and declare himself an EXPERT in that software he just downloaded.   We see it all the time.    Just because you know how to download Open Source software, doesn't translate to Open Source software expert.   To a local municipality, that could spell real trouble in terms of money, learning curves, and release schedules.   Who are the real experts?

Open Source is wonderful.   The opportunity in the face of adversity is this;  Community Site Design Group is working toward creating certifications for users of eMuni Content Management System and certification for our own help desk associates.   eMuni CMS is built around the popular Open Source content management platform, Drupal.   As far as we know, there are no certification programs available for Drupal users or Drupal developers like there are for Microsoft certifications or Oracle or Rational.   But we believe, we can create a standard for our own clients and our own staff and certify our users and staff to those standards.   Look for more from Community Site Design Group in coming months about eMuni Content Management System user certifications and software engineer certifications.