Open Advantage

History has proved how the West Midlands has provided a hub of innovation and forward-thinking. This trend continues with the establishment of the only independently funded vendor-neutral IT solutions centre based in the UK specialising in Open Source software. The EU is adopting a positive stance in the use of Open Source and the West Midlands is taking the lead for the UK.

The aim of OpenAdvantage is to objectively advise, educate and assist the IT SME in all aspects of Open Source software, helping their business to grow and be more profitable. Until the launch of OpenAdvantage less than twelve months ago, the IT SME had resorted to ad-hoc and fragmented local resources for help in developing IT solutions using Open Source software. Today, there is a dedicated team of Open Source experts ready to tackle a diverse range of IT challenges with a number of innovative and
effective Open Source solutions.

OpenAdvantage can now offer a full range of services, from consultancy, to seminars and training. With funding from the regional development agency, Advantage West Midlands, everything on offer at the Solution Centre is free of charge.

One of the many challenges facing the IT SME is to find the time to research and evaluate the plethora of Open Source developments that currently exist. The team at OpenAdvantage offer free consultancy that can be used to identify and evaluate the latest developments in Open
Source and determine how these technologies fit in with existing solutions and IT requirements.

Seminars focusing on business, managerial and technical issues are delivered regularly. 'How to Make Money out of Open Source' dispels the myths that have gathered around Open Source as it has continued to become the fastest growing force in IT. Forrester Research identified this rapid trend towards Open Source and cited that “43% of companies surveyed are piloting or considering Open Source, 31% claim a complete rollout, and 58% plan to extend their spending on open Source products”. OpenAdvantage are well placed to deliver the benefits of utilising Open Source software to help the pioneering IT SME take advantage of evolving opportunities.

A demonstration room filled with PC's, Mac's & Thin clients, can be set up to simulate any kind of IT environment for clients to trial and test, break and rebuild developments, conduct interoperability tests, make comparisons, evaluate migration paths and hold product launches. The resources on-site can be used to host and trial IT set-ups to enable a
full compatibility study to be conducted before migrating to an Open Source solution. Having the ability to conduct these tests outside an organisation's own IT network enables well considered evaluation and expert and objective advice delivered by OpenAdvantage's consultants.

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