An open-source model involves software development conducted collaboratively by multiple independent entities (essentially a group of interested and expert volunteers). Although the rights to the resultant software may be owned by a single entity, the source code continues to be made available for editing through licenses.
The benefits of open source include the potential for enhanced and more diverse creativity. Security is a concern with open source; however, its proponents argue that because the open-source environment comprises a diverse set of contributors, the likelihood of finding malicious code is increased. There is a strong open-source community of experts and volunteers who advocate for open development and collaboration.
In contrast, proprietary software is developed, owned, and controlled by one entity, which also solely develops new features and tests for security. Although configuration control is generally not an issue, cost, requirements, and security remain areas that must be carefully considered. Additionally, owners/developers of proprietary software generally have limited resources available to address bugs or security issues, potentially delaying the development of patches and increasing the potential for vulnerabilities to be exploited.
Resources
- Open-Source Software contains an example of one company's decision-making process around open source versus proprietary.