The State of Enterprise Open Source

What is enterprise open source being used for?

For the third year in a row, “infrastructure modernization” is the top use for enterprise open source software. Furthermore, 64% now cite it as a top use, up from 53% two years ago. This continued popularity isn’t really surprising. Linux and other open infrastructure like web servers have long been used to replace proprietary alternatives. One specific area of open source infrastructure that spiked in popularity this year was networking, which increased from 36% two years ago to 54% this year.

Two other uses most respondents cited may be less obvious. The second most cited use is “application development.” At 54% of respondents, it has remained in second place since our first survey. This result is significant because applications are increasingly the life blood of organizations; they underpin many of the revenue-producing services delivered to customers.