Fpurl

Is the availability and usefulness of open source support lagging behind its desirability? That's one of the messages that it's possible to get from a new survey conducted by OpenLogic, a company that specializes in selling enterprise-level open source software support. (We've looked at some other information from their open source experts in the past.)

The OpenLogic folks surveyed 123 enterprises using open source software, half of which were reasonably large (over 1,000 employees). Among their findings:

• 50% of the respondents in mid-size and large companies (and 39% of all respondents) see vendor support as an important thing.
• Despite this, over 50% of the respondents turn to their own employees or the open source community for support - only 10% use support companies or consultants.
• The satisfaction level with support from internal resources runs close to 60%; for commercial support companies, it's more like 40%.
• Almost 40% of respondents say that it's harder to find support for open source software than for commercial alternatives.

 Although I wouldn't say this picture is bleak, it certainly shows room for improvement - and for entrepreneurs. The numbers seem to indicate that there is unfulfilled need for support (particularly, if you look at their their other answers, for configuration and integration support) that most companies are handling by their own hiring. A well-staffed vendor should be able to make a compelling case for outsourcing some or all of those functions.

Of course, you have to be wary of any survey: the sample size in this one is fairly small, and we don't know how the respondents were selected. But assuming that it reflects reality, we have to ask: why aren't more open source people getting into the business of paid support offerings?