In a recent article on The New Stack, Emily Omier examined the role of enterprise Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs), exploring what they do and why.
Omier noted that it’s increasingly common for companies not only to passively consume open source software but also to actively participate in open source communities. And, this shift to participating and contributing requires strategic thinking and planning.
“Open source offices can drive innovation, but also provide guardrails so that as you change the way you consume open source, you still do it in a way that manages benefits versus risks,” said Jeff Borek, head of the open source office at IBM.
Running an open source program office is about “teaching everyone in the organization to think strategically about how open source fits into the larger business goals,” Omier said. And, OSPOs have a role to play in all aspects of a company’s open source strategy, including adoption, community participation, contributions, and compliance.
As Remy DeCausemaker, head of open source at Spotify explained, “Engineering, business, and legal stakeholders each have their own goals and roles, oftentimes making trade-offs between speed, quality, and risk. An OSPO works to balance and connect these individual goals into a holistic strategy that reduces friction.”
Read the complete article at The New Stack.
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