Improve Security and Increase Innovation With Open-Source
Open-source software is practically ubiquitous in the private technology sector. In fact, 97% of all codebases use open-source code. Why? Open source provides the building blocks that allow organizations to enhance their services and innovate for their customers. Its strength lies in the fact that developers worldwide constantly create, evaluate, and improve the underlying code to fix vulnerabilities and ease implementation.
Yet government agencies have been reticent to adopt open-source practices. Only 18% of government technologists said that open source is a critical component of their IT systems. At face value, avoiding open-source code within the public sector is understandable. Open source is—by definition—“open.” To the uninitiated, code that is broadly available and accessible might seem more volatile and less secure.
In fact, the opposite is true. Government agencies—organizations less likely to leverage open source—have a higher rate of security flaws in their infrastructure than private organizations and take 50% longer to fix those vulnerabilities on average. While open source isn’t inherently more secure than proprietary code, the United States Digital Service (USDS) has provided open-source repositories with vetted code that government agencies can implement, including Digital.gov, Code.gov, and 18F.
Now that we’ve piqued your interest, you might wonder how to learn more about open source and the steps for getting started. In our latest e-book, Open to Open Source: How To Shift Your Agency's Mindset and Get Started With Open-Source Code, we address common myths, identify potential roadblocks, and demonstrate why using open-source software is mission-critical to government agencies. We’ll help you consider how your technology vendors can support your new open-source policies and give you five easy steps to start your open-source journey.
There is nothing stopping your agency from utilizing open-source methodologies and taking advantage of the cost savings, security improvements, and quality control innate to open-source code. And better yet, there are no budget requirements to get started. All you need is a little guidance to pick your first project and dive in.
Learn how open source can increase the quality and security of your code by downloading our eBook, Open to Open Source: How To Shift Your Agency's Mindset and Get Started With Open-Source Code.
