Open Source in Finance Forum London 2024

The ease in adopting open source can lead to organizations using software without considering its long-term viability. What happens when a project changes the license, stops making security updates, or has other issues that impact its usage? When a project that is incorporated into your products or services later becomes unviable, it can have negative implications for your users, customers, and reputation. This talk will compare the risks and rewards associated with projects under neutral foundations vs. those controlled by companies and look at how the people leading and contributing to the project influence risk. The presentation will contain details about how to assess project policies, governance, security practices, adoption, and community dynamics that can impact the stability and overall success of a project. Throughout the presentation, there will be discussions about techniques for measurement and which collections of metrics might be appropriate for your evaluations. The audience will walk away with practical advice about how to strategically evaluate the viability of open source projects within their supply chain and assess the risks and rewards for their situation.