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Enterprise Resource Planning
Is Open Source the ERP Cure-All?
5/1/2008
Open Source: Getting a Foothold
Meanwhile, open source ERP applications are starting to get some traction with certain segments of academia. Few higher ed technology watchers are willing to predict a wholesale shift to the open source software model, but several major universities are helping to raise open source's visibility within academia. And there's a track record here: In the spirit of open collaboration and research, major universities were among the early adopters of LAMP (a software stack comprised of Linux, the Apache web server, MySQL, and PHP, now enjoying widespread commercial acceptance).
Positive experiences with LAMP- and some frustration with traditional ERP applications-have inspired many universities to seek out open source ERP options. A number of companies, including Openbravo of Spain, are developing and selling open source ERP applications. However, several major universities are now working together to develop open source ERP solutions. One prime example (mentioned previously): the Kuali project, which began in 2004 as a cooperative effort among seven partners, and which was launched with a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, to develop an open source, community-owned financial system. Success with the joint development of the Kuali Financial System has led to three other pooled-investment projects coordinated by the independent, not-for-profit Kuali Foundation.
Today, Kuali software is available under the Open Source Initiative's Educational Community License, feefree to anyone, for any use or modification. Universities therefore can use existing Kuali software components without charge, and they can make modifications without worrying about pushback from software vendors, notes IU's Wheeler, an outspoken Kuali proponent.
Kuali Considerations
Although universities can share Kuali components with one another, some colleges have been slow to embrace the open source ERP model because it still requires paying open source talent. Plus, the open source model lacks a network of certified integrators and consultants who know how to work with the code. But that's gradually changing. The rSmart Group, for one, is an open source consultancy created to serve higher education. The company is working with Sun Microsystems to develop certified, turnkey Kuali-based solutions, the first of which will be a Kuali Financial System that runs on Sun hardware.
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