Understanding the Market for Open Source Initiatives in the Education Industry (Market Focus)

This market focus brief looks at the drivers and inhibitors for education institutions adopting open sources software.

Scope

• Education institutions want to have further control of their technology solutions and believe open source software can meet these needs.
• Disenchantment with some vendors is pushing institutions towards open source solutions.
• Open source solutions require significant depth in resources and this is holding back some institutions from investing in open source solutions.

Highlights

Education institutions believe many of their needs are not being met by existing proprietary vendors. This report looks at the drivers and inhibitors that are pushing institutions towards open source software as a result.

Reasons to Purchase

• Learn what the key drivers are for the open source software market in education.
• Understand what will hold institutions back from investing in open source.
• Understand some of the differences that are occurring between countries and how some countries will adopt open source quicker than others.

• Datamonitor View
• Catalyst
• Summary
• Analysis
  • Open Source Solutions Are Here To Stay And Can Take On A Number Of Different Formats
  • Open Source Solutions Are Taking An Increasingly Prominent Role In The Education Market
  • Open Source Software Is The Chameleon Of The Technology Industry
  • Learning Management Systems And Operating Systems Are Where Open Source Will Be Most Dominant
  • Institutions Are Being Driven From Multiple Angles To Adopt An Open Source Solution
  • Lack Of Control Over Solutions Is Prompting Institutions To Look Towards Open Source
  • Learning Management Systems Are Crucial To The Learning Process In An Institution
  • Disenchantment With Proprietary Vendors Is Pushing Some Institutions To Open Source Solutions
  • Many Institutions Feel They Are Feeding Shared Holders And Not Gaining Value From The Investment
  • Sharing Of Information Is Key To The Pedagogical Process
  • Some Governments Are Compelling Their Educators To Implement Open Source Solutions
  • Justified Or Not A Number Of Governments Are Wary Of Microsoft's Dominance
  • Bric Countries Are Likely To Prove Strong Proponents Of Open Sources - Especially Operating Systems
  • Many Institutions Have No Motivation Whatsoever For Implementing An Open Source Solution
  • Open Source Solutions Are Not Actually Cheaper - As Is Often Perceived
  • Smaller Institutions Struggle With The Resources For An Open Source Solution
  • K12 Institutions Ventures Into Open Source Will Mainly Be Limited To Operating Systems
  • Erp And Open Source Solutions Are Not Easy Bedfellows
  • Actions
  • Vendors Should Seek To Support Institutions That Choose Open Source
  • Many Of The Issues Institutions Currently Have Can Be Solved By Proprietary Software
  • Increased Investment In Developing Solutions Is Critical
• Appendix
  • Definitions
  • Methodology
  • Further Reading
  • Ask The Analyst
  • Datamonitor Consulting
  • Disclaimer
• List Of Figures
  • Figure 1: 56% Of Education Institutions Use An Open Source Solution
  • Figure 2: Open Source Lms Market Size For Software And Services, 2006-2012
  • Figure 3: Enabling Further Control Is Key To An Institutions Motivation For Initiating An Oss
  • Figure 4: Open Source Market Size For France, Germany And The Netherlands, 2006-2012
  • Figure 5: Some Countries Have A Clear Propensity Towards Open Source Over Others
  • Figure 6: Institutions With Small It Budgets Feel Intimidated By The Prospect Of Adopting Open Source Solutions
  • Figure 7: Global Open Source Operating Systems Market In K12