There are many emerging open source technologies making a global impact today. Many experts are debating the future of open source as companies continue to add to their proprietary software. For the foreseeable future, free software will offer the most innovation and change to companies. From scripting language to secure online transactions, open source technologies create a free-flow of innovations that change the way that society interacts. Almost every major industry has been influenced by the disruptive innovations of these technologies. As a business owner, it’s helpful to maintain knowledge of evolving technology and its impact.
5 Open source technologies that are shaping industries
Here are a few examples of how open source technologies are changing the world today.
Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
Geographical Information Systems allow for geographical data to be collected, stored, and analyzed. GIS is frequently used within industries that rely on natural resources and transportation. These industries include forestry, oil, gas, and water management. Companies that operate within these areas rely on GIS solutions to manage location based data.
It allows them to track resources, products and people that are vital to their operations. Many women in technology have used GIS in tandem with GPS and logistics controls. When implemented with business strategy, this open source technology helps to streamline how companies manage their locations and assets on a global scale.
Kubernetes
Kubernetes is an emerging open source hybrid cloud. The platform is known for its advancement in clustering technologies. Its elasticity has made it the standard for developing, testing and deploying containerized applications. As a core part of development platforms like Docker, kubernetes allows for systems to be utilized on multiple platforms, while maintaining a project’s integrity.
Additionally, you can integrate private helm repositories, also known as Helm Kubernetes, to manage your helm charts. This further allows for fluid container management, scheduling, and orchestration at the enterprise levels. As the global scale load increases, kubernetes offers scalability and security to enterprise cloud-native applications.
Blockchain
Blockchain has made a major impact on the entire financial industry as one of the best known open source technologies. Around the world, trillions of dollars flow through the global financial system every day. With the introduction of blockchain, users can cut out intermediaries for transaction. This open source technology allows two third parties to make secure financial transactions depending on the type of exchange.
In use cases like Bitcoin, users can send digital currency that is verified across the entire system. As governments start to implement the technology, it has the potential to transform the entire global trade supply chain. With blockchain, governments can lower the time to attain a Letter of Credit from days to hours. Thus, the transaction accelerates the movement of goods across the globe by simplifying trade financing. By providing real-time tracking of goods and currency, it decreases the risks associated with global trade.
Social robots
Open source social robots have created massive changes within society, leading to many robots taking your job. This emerging technology could very well make personal robots a reality for everyday individuals and small businesses. Using open source libraries, these autonomous robots interact with humanity within prescribed roles.
Additionally, combining those scripts with artificially intelligent programming, they can recognize voices, faces, and interpret emotions. Furthermore, social robot development projects can be directly integrated with other personal assistant software such as Alexa or Google home.
XaaS (Anything as a Service)
XaaS is an acronym for “anything as a service,” and is generally used for anything that can be delivered over the internet rather than on a premises. This tech advancement covers several open source solutions. Although there are many XaaS that are already widely available like Saas (software as a service), new cloud based models such as communications as a service (CaaS) are revolutionizing the “as a service” model.
As more open source technologies with “X” as-a-service solutions enter the market, many industries will continue to shift to the service model. When you consider the availability of high speed networks and affordable computing resources, these open source software can drastically lower while increasing efficiency for nearly every sector.
Conclusion
There are many emerging open source technologies making a global impact today. GIS is creating efficient mapping for companies involved with natural resources and transportation. Kubernetes allows for a streamlined process in application-focused clustering technologies.
Meanwhile, blockchain has drastically cut down on the time-frame involved in global trading. Social robots and XaaS are creating new avenues for industries to automate their services. As technologies continue to expand, it is important for businesses to stay abreast of the expanding frontiers and the opportunities they provide.
