TheOpenAnalyst » 2009 Predictions

Opportunities for open source M&A in 2009

TheOpenAnalyst — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:49:00 +0000

At the beginning of last year, we predicted that 2008 would set a new record in terms of the amount of mergers and acquisitions related to open source software vendors. A look back at the year-end numbers indicates that we were a bit overconfident. In fact, 28 M&A deals were recorded by The 451 Commercial Adoption of Open Source (CAOS) research service in 2008, compared to 34 in 2007. The slowdown is not surprising given the 40% reduction in M&A activity in the industry as a whole in 2008. In that context, M&A activity involving open source vendors can be seen to have outperformed the wider industry.

With economic conditions forcing companies to do more with smaller budgets in 2009, it is expected that there will be increased interest in, and use of, open source software this year. Does that make open source vendors more or less attractive as acquisition targets? In this report, we examine some of the reasons why open source might buck the trend in the coming year and see an increase in M&A activity despite the fact that overall M&A activity in the technology industry is expected to be down on 2008.

Opportunities for open source M&A in 2009 -| The 451 Group

10 predictions for Linux and open source in 2009

TheOpenAnalyst — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:40:00 +0000

2009 is here. And for people like me, that means it’s time to put together not a “year in review” but a “year in preview.”

I don’t like to look back; I like to look ahead. So I offer you this list of what I see in the year to come for the Linux operating system and open source software.

10 predictions for Linux and open source in 2009 | Linux | Builder AU

Seven Predictions for Open Source in 2009

TheOpenAnalyst — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 03:40:00 +0000

2008 was an eventful, breakthrough year for many open source companies, and 2009 will hold even more promise for the open source market, especially in terms of business purchasing patterns, software business model shifts, and enterprise software stack evolution. The current economic conditions will certainly prompt businesses to look more closely at alternative IT solutions and open source technology will be one of the big winners next year.

Seven Predictions for Open Source in 2009 | LINUX

Gartner doles out sobering predictions for open source use in the enterprise for next 5 years

TheOpenAnalyst — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:40:00 +0000

The economic slowdown should benefit open source software but whether open source software will benefit its owners is up in the air.

That’s according to Gartner Group predictions for 2009, which claims that over the next few years most enterprises using open source won’t manage those assets correctly and most won’t achieve any cost savings over proprietary software.

Gartner doles out sobering predictions for open source use in the enterprise for next 5 years | Open Source | ZDNet.com