Open Source Software and the Australian Government Presentation
Slide 1: Title slide
Image: Coat of Arms – Australian Government, Department of Finance and Deregulation (repeated
on all slides)
Open Source Software and the Australian Government
Image: Linux penguins
Brian Catto
Director, Governance and Policy Branch
Australian Government Information Management Office
Department of Finance and Deregulation
18th November 2011
Slide 2: Outline – 1
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About AGIMO
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About Open Source
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Opportunities
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Considerations
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The International Landscape
Footer (repeated on all slides): Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO)
Slide 3: Outline – 2
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Australian Government Policy
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Current Open Source Software Policy
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Open Source Software Policy Principles
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Use of Open Source Software in Agencies
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Predictions for the Future
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Next Steps/More Information
Slide 4: About AGIMO
About AGIMO
Business group
Image: Coat of Arms – Australian Government, Department of Finance and Deregulation
(Australian Government Information Management Office)
Purpose
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foster the efficient and effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) by
Australian government departments and agencies
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provides advice, tools, information and services to help Australian government departments
and agencies use ICT to improve administration and service delivery
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works with governments and other bodies at the local, state, national and international
levels
Slide 5: About AGIMO (2)
Leadership
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development of whole of government ICT strategies (e.g. cloud computing strategy)
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co-ordinate governance of ICT (whole of government and cross jurisdictional)
Procurement
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on behalf of government – desktop hardware, licenses, telecommunications services, data
centre facilities
Image: computers
Slide 6: About AGIMO (3)
Operations
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Intra Government Communications Network (ICON)
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FedLink
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.gov.au domain naming regime across Australia
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directory.gov.au – guide to structure, organisations and key people within the Australian
government
Slide 7: About AGIMO (4)
Policy
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ICT investment management
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Internet Gateway Reduction Program
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Data Centre Strategy
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ICT staff teleworking policy
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IPv6 transition policy
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Open Source policy
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Bespoke Development policy
Slide 8: About AGIMO (5)
Advice
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Australian Government Architecture framework
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Better Practice Guidelines
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Security and Authentication standards
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Australians’ use of the internet and e-government services (annual study)
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web publishing and web content accessibility guidelines
Slide 9: About AGIMO
Service Delivery
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australia.gov.au – online entry point for government information
Image: australia.gov.au screenshot
Slide 10: About AGIMO
Service Delivery
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data.gov.au – online repository of public sector datasets
Image: data.gov.au screenshot
Slide 11: About AGIMO
Service Delivery
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govdex.gov.au – secure online collaboration for government
Image: govdex.gov.au screenshot
Slide 12: About AGIMO
Service Delivery
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govspace.gov.au – online social media platform
Image: govspace.gov.au screenshot
Slide 13: About AGIMO
Service Delivery
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AGIMO Blog – agimo.govspace.gov.au - announcements from AGIMO
Image: agimo.govspace.gov.au screenshot
Slide 14: About AGIMO
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Source code that is available to view, use, modify and redistribute (under various
licensing obligations)
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Subject to copyright
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Variety of sourcing options
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Not necessarily free
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Examples …
Image: globe and connected computers surrounded by open source logos: Thunderbird, MySQL,
OpenOffice, Firefox, Linux, Apache
Slide 15: Opportunities
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Cost (usually no upfront payment)
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Encourages competitive support services market
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Encourages collaboration
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Less restrictions on software users
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Users take direct control of software maintenance and support
Slide 16: Opportunities (2)
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Provides opportunity to try the software before committing to it
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May reduce vendor lock-in
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Allows users to view and modify the source code
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Users can rapidly take advantage of improved functionality from new releases
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Increases interoperability
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Is usually modular
Slide 17: Considerations
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Total cost of ownership (aka whole of life costs)
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Warranties/Indemnities
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Support and Maintenance
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Maturity (Stability)
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Need for Customisation
Image: man at computer with headset
Slide 18: Considerations (2)
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Community
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Training for users
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Innovation
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Liability
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Licensing Obligations
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Portability
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Release Management
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Reliability
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Restrictions on Use
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Re-Use
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Security
Slide 19: The International Landscape
Image: Brazil
Brazil – referenced in Gershon 2.12.7 :
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“….determined to effectively use the latest ICT technologies…..”;
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“….making some of the world’s largest investment in open source software.”
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Nov 2003 – encourage use of OSS
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2005 – 300,000 gov computers switched from MS to Linux
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2006 – supporting locally produced open source products
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2008 – 73% of large companies use OSS
Slide 20: The International Landscape
Image: United Kingdom
UK
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2010 - Release of “Open Source, Open Standards and ReUse: Government Action Plan”.
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UK government will actively and fairly consider open source solutions alongside proprietary
solutions in making procurement decisions
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Where there is no significant monetary difference, open source products will be selected
due to their “inherent flexibility”
Slide 21: The International Landscape
Image: New York
USA
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2003 – Dept of Defense approved use of open source software (subject to meeting security
standards)
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Current policy mandates that open source solutions must be considered. Policy states that
both OSS and non-OSS are equally acceptable, and that a decision should be made based on
merit. “OSS neutral”
Slide 22: The International Landscape
Image: Canada
Canada
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Several city administrations (eg Edmonton) and Federal departments use OSS, but no clear
Federal policy regarding OSS
Slide 23: The International Landscape
Image: New Zealand
New Zealand
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NZ Government Agencies are encouraged to assess open source software alternatives
(where these exist) alongside commercial software, and should choose based on cost,
functionality, interoperability, and security.
Slide 24: The International Landscape
Other Countries
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Many countries have open source policies
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Some (such as Argentina and Ecuador) mandate use of open source for all government
agencies
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Most (such as Belgium) recommend consideration of open source and proprietary software
looking for best fit and value for money
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Some (such as Cambodia and China) require government departments to show a preference
for Open Source
Slide 25: Australian Government Position on Open Source Software – 2005
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Informed Neutrality
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An unbiased position that does not favour either open source or proprietary
software.
‘Value for money’
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In accordance with the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (CPGs).
Slide 26: Australian Government Policy – 2011
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Australian Government agencies must consider open source software once a
decision to acquire software has been made.
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Agreed by Secretaries’ ICT Governance Board (SIGB) on 21 December 2010 and
applied to any ICT procurement initiated after 1 March 2011
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Subject to opt-out (Process for Administration of Opt-Outs from Whole-of
Government ICT Arrangements): Agencies must go to Expenditure Review
Committee (ERC) to opt-out of policy
Slide 27: Open Source Software Policy Principles
Principle 1: Australian Government ICT procurement processes must actively and fairly consider all
types of available software.
> $80K – Procurement Plan, RFT
< $80K – Document decision
Slide 28: Open Source Software Policy Principles
Principle 2: Suppliers must consider all types of available software when dealing with Australian
Government agencies.
Agencies  Tender documentation
Suppliers  RFT responses
Slide 29: Open Source Software Policy Principles
Principle 3: Australian Government agencies will actively participate in open source software
communities and contribute back where appropriate.
Slide 30: Use of Open Source Software within the Australian Government
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AGIMO surveys all agencies annually
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2011 survey showed almost 60 agencies were using open source software
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2011 survey showed over 750 open source implementations with over 200 products
in use
Image: check list screenshot
Slide 31: Use of Open Source Software within the Australian Government
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Open source is being used on many platforms including Windows, Solaris, Unix and Mac
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Applications include
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web platforms (such as Apache)
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operating systems (such as RedHat Linux)
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Geospatial applications (such as GeoNetwork)
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web browsers (such as Mozilla Firefox)
Slide 32
“Australia is one of the countries that stands out for its OSS activity, particularly the participation of
its communities on both a national and international level.”
Report on the International Status of Open Source Software 2010
National Open Source Software Observatory
(www.cenatic.es)
Slide 33: The Future
Image: future highway
AGIMO will continue to monitor OSS usage within government and will review the effectiveness of
the new policy in the first half of 2012
Gartner predicts:
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By 2016, 50% of leading non-IT organisations will use OSS as a business strategy to
gain competitive advantage
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By 2016, OSS will be included in mission-critical software portfolios within 99% of
Global 2000 enterprises (compared with 75% in 2010)
Slide 34: Further Information
Guide to Open Source Software for Australian Government Agencies
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Updated version released June 2011 (available from Finance website)
Open Source Software Community of Interest
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Information sharing forum for members of the APS
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Meets several times a year
Slide 35: Contact
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Email: architecture@finance.gov.au
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Finance Website: http://www.finance.gov.au/e-government/strategy-andgovernance/Whole-of-Government-ICT-Policies.html
Slide 36: Thank you
Thank you