In a down economy consumers aren’t the only ones feeling a little lighter in their pockets. Tough times call for government organizations to tighten their belts and make every tax dollar count. How has the State of New Hampshire decided to save on operational expenses? Open source software.
NH recently instituted a policy calling for their agencies to work with the Department of Information Technology to consider open source software in all new software acquisitions. They have recognized that the costs associated with obtaining and maintaining software are significant expenses which should be minimized and, if possible, avoided altogether.
The agencies are now required to find the most cost-effective software solution for their agency and avoid acquisition of products that do not comply with the open standards for interoperability or data storage. Each agency must provide a brief analysis of the purchase decision, including their consideration of cost factors; the total cost of ownership for an open source solution including costs for support, testing, upgrades, maintenance and training. Furthermore, each agency must maintain an inventory of all proprietary and open source software products used by the agency. The Commissioner of Information Technology will aid the agencies in this process, as well as re-examine the inventory every four years to determine if the software has become open, and if not, whether there is an appropriate open alternative.
NH no longer wants to be tied to a single provider. They want to integrate software that is platform-neutral, and which contains no restrictions on how, or for how long it may be used. “It is necessary for the functioning of the state that computer data owned by the state be permanently available to the state throughout its useful life.”
NH takes “free” to the next level by requiring the Commissioner to develop a statewide information policy based on the principles of open government data. The principles include making all public data available and collected at the source in an unmodified form when possible. The data must also be disseminated as quickly as necessary and to the widest range of users for the widest range of purposes without discrimination, required registration, or subject to any copyright, patent, trademark, or trade secret.
And the good news is that NH isn’t alone in its adoption of an open source policy; VT and CA have also implemented similar policies within their governments. As NH states, “It is… in the public interest that the state be free, to the greatest extent possible.”
Good work Liz!