1. Choose conciously
Licensed software, by definition, costs more than Open Source software. It then quickly seems attractive to switch completely to an Open Source DBMS like MySQL or PostgreSQL. Yet that is not recommended for just any application.
Software developed under a license is often well supported by the publisher. In the unlikely event of a problem, it can often be quickly addressed. Certainly in business-critical applications, reliability is a major asset. Our advice is therefore to make a conscious choice regarding the applications that can or cannot be migrated to an Open Source DBMS.
2. Choose now
According to some, data is the new gold. Right now, there is definitely an unprecedented data revolution. More and more organizations are starting to actively use data in all aspects of operations. From sales to optimization and from logistics to planning.
The environments in which data is collected and analyzed are now being built. At that stage, it is also relatively easy to start with an Open Source database solution, such as Postgres or MongoDB. That offers the opportunity to learn and experiment a lot in an important, rapidly growing, but not (yet) mission-critical application. Moreover, these environments grow in size very quickly and thus will become very expensive in licensing software, which is another important reason to choose Open Source from the start.
3. Choose for the community
When choosing Open Source software, it is important to also know and understand the background of the Open Source world. It is a fundamentally different approach from the commercial software market where development is exclusively for profit. Open Source has a completely different dynamic and is entirely developed and managed by a community of passionate developers.
If you choose Open Source, it is important to want to go along with this philosophy and choose the community. That means contributing to it by, for example, having your own people participate in the development of the Open Source software and/or DMBS you use. But also by supporting and organizing meetups, providing training and attending international events.
4.Choose for the right people
One of the biggest obstacles to Open Source right now is the lack of good and experienced people. Many companies that want to switch to Open Source post a job posting for a PostgreSQL specialist, for example, only to find out that there are hardly any.
Many of the current experts are autodidacts who have accumulated their knowledge by being active in the management and development of Open Source databases for many years. So it is still a relatively small community of people. It is therefore all the more important to select the right parties and the right people at the start. By definition, these are active in the community and have already earned their spurs in the specific Open Source DBMS.
With the current rapid growth of Open Source DBMS, it is therefore increasingly important to introduce a training offering that can efficiently and effectively start training larger numbers of people. For example, OptimaData is actively working to develop and deliver training courses, workshops and meetups.
In the meantime, do you have questions about applying Open Source database management systems in your company? Or would you like to know how OptimaData can contribute to that? Then please contact us for more information.