Patterns for adoping open source

I'm not sure if I've blogged this before, but the conventional wisdom for adoption of open source is that whilst the software may be free, the skills requirement is higher. One way to consider the open source alternative is to consider the open source project on a par with internally developed solutions. This has two benefits, firstly you really engage with the solution, and secondly by engaging with the community and feeding back with your developed insights you help to improve the overall solution. If you are not able to make this level of commitment to the project then perhaps you are not ready yet to adopt an open source solution.

» Open source adoption: More rigor, less emotion | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

In any case, companies need to consider the unintended consequences. For starters, if you use open source the chances are good that you will need more developers internally. Bottom line: More analysis will be needed as companies increasingly take the open source plunge.