Open Source Software Market Accelerated by Economy and Increased Acceptance From Enterprise Buyers, IDC Finds

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A recent IDC study reveals that worldwide revenue from open source software (OSS) will grow at a 22.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to reach $8.1 billion by 2013. This forecast is considerably higher than 2008 for three reasons: (1) the bottom-up list used to calculate the revenue has expanded through an exhaustive effort to include more projects in this forecast; (2) open source software has had a much higher level of acceptance over the past 12 months than previously expected, and; (3) the economy accelerated the uptake and use of open source software in the closing months of 2008.

“The open source software market has seen a strong boost from the current economic crisis”

"The open source software market has seen a strong boost from the current economic crisis," said Michael Fauscette, group vice president, Software Business Solutions. "OSS is increasingly a part of the enterprise software strategy of leading businesses and is seeing mainstream adoption at a strong pace. As the overall software industry continues to consolidate, it will be key for OSS vendors to reach scale if they plan to continue as a standalone business."

Additional key findings include:

• Large software vendors like IBM, Sun, Dell, HP, and Oracle are making significant amounts of indirect revenue from their activities with and support of OSS. This has greatly aided mainstream adoption and acceptance of OSS.
• Hybrid business models seem to be increasing. It is likely that this will end up as the most prevalent business model, with on-premise vendors adding SaaS, SaaS vendors offering on premise, OSS vendors selling variants, and closed source vendors offering more OSS.
• The opportunity to leverage OSS in ways that increase competitive advantage, such as a part of BPO offerings or as a part of a software appliance, is on the rise and should help increase adoption and growth for OSS vendors.

This IDC study, Worldwide Open Source Software 2009–2013 Forecast (IDC #219260) provides a new forecast for the open source software market as a bottom-up sizing of the OSS market in 2008 and a 2009–2013 forecast. Historical and forecast revenue data is shown for the total worldwide market.

About IDC

IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. For more than 45 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

All product and company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.