Is Open Source ERP Software Safe to Use?

Open source ERP solutions are cheap and effective alternatives to commercial products and offer equivalent protection against hackers, malware, and other security threats. While exposing their source code to the public does reveal weaknesses in the program, their enthusiastic user communities are vigilant in identifying and repairing security flaws quicker than commercial programs that rely on a small number of employees to catch any and all errors.

Most open source ERP software solutions offer similar features and functionality as leading products that require commercial licensing. The standard modules, such as accounting, inventory, and manufacturing, and human resources, are included in any open source solutions. Other modules can vary depending on the solution’s adoption within particular industry verticals and the individual enhancements provided by the developer community. When choosing between an open source or commercial ERP solution, the benefits, disadvantages, and costs of each product should be considered.

Cost for Open Source ERP Software

Because open source solutions require no licensing fees or annual maintenance contracts, the initial start-up costs to implement those solutions are much lower than licensed solutions. In addition, customizations can be less expensive since the most popular solutions have large developer communities – chances are good that the functionality you require has already been created by the community. Commercial alternatives are costly but do offer more features than their open source competitors.

The commercial business model for software development leads to more polished and consistent solutions, but at a much higher price. The publishers of those products employ their own developers to design and code solutions that target a sustainable customer base. The workforce of engineers and specialists drive up the cost of the product, but also provide more timely, consistent, and stable updates to the software. Undoubtedly, for larger enterprises that have the budget to afford commercial software, doing so means less risk over the long run as the product’s performance and maintenance is guaranteed by a viable company with adequate financial resources to compensate their customers for any product failures.

Technical Support

Effective technical support is important to ensure the ongoing performance of an ERP system, and unfortunately, open source solutions that lack a large and motivated developer community simply can’t provide the support most companies require. Even if the open source solution does have a great community, there is no guarantee that a problem will be solved, or much less, that it will be solved promptly. For companies that rely on their business software and would suffer significant, if not irreparable, harm from an extended downtime period, depending on the voluntary support from a developer community is simply irresponsible.

However, one reason software publishers will often use the open source business model is to bolster the use of their technical support services. Their strategy is to give away the software and charge for technical support. Another open source business model involves giving away a less comprehensive version of their software to drive sales of their full-featured solution. In both of these business models, the company’s technical support is a vital component of their value proposition.