"Open-Source Skills Continue to Be in High Demand"

Perforce Software and the Open-Source Initiative report that 80 percent of organizations have increased their use of open-source software over the past year. Four out of five organizations rely on open-source software for various mission-critical applications, such as data and database management, containers and container orchestration, and DevOps and SDLC tooling. However, the analysis finds that certain difficulties remain. In every category assessed, companies consistently mentioned a shortage of qualified staff as one of the greatest obstacles. Internal support of open-source software requires an expert-level understanding of numerous technologies that form software stacks. Maintaining security policies and compliance, as well as keeping up with updates and patches, also present challenges, particularly for businesses that have not yet migrated away from end-of-life (EOL) software. The research reveals a positive trend toward open-source strategy and maturity despite these issues. For example, 35 percent of respondents have open-source software security and compliance policies. In addition, 28 percent have legal teams in place who are knowledgeable about open-source licensing. Over 25 percent of organizations in most industries have a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM), which is an important first step toward enhanced security and transparency. This article continues to discuss key findings from the 2023 State of Open-Source Report.

Help Net Security reports "Open-Source Skills Continue to Be in High Demand"