Open source in local government, and other unicorns

Oligopolies are unhealthy. When a small number of firms dominates a market, customers are left with a dearth of choice, and in the worst cases the dominant firms collude to raise prices.

And oligopoly describes fairly accurately the situation regarding software procurement within UK government. In fact, when it comes to office software monopoly might be a more appropriate description: its basically Microsoft or Microsoft. Its estimated that UK government departments have spent over 200m of public money on Microsoft Office applications since 2010.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude admitted earlier this year: The software we use in government is still supplied by just a few large companies. A tiny oligopoly dominates the marketplace.

And Microsofts dominance of Whitehall appears at first glance to be reflected too in local government. When Computing spoke to Jos Creese, CIO of Hampshire County Council, and holder of one of the largest IT budgets in local government according to one inside source, he explained that Microsoft works out cheaper than open source alternatives.

We use Microsoft [for our desktops], said Creese. Each time weve looked at open source for desktop and costed it out, Microsoft has proved cheaper.

He explained that this is because most staff are already familiar with Microsoft products, and that they work well with the thin client model employed at Hampshire council. But its also partly down to Microsoft itself.

Microsoft has been flexible and helpful in the way we apply their products to improve the operation of our frontline services, and this helps to de-risk ongoing cost. The point is that the true cost is in the total cost of ownership and exploitation, not just the licence cost.

And Creese isnt alone in his attachment to Microsoft. Alan Shields, architect team manager at Cambridgeshire County Council, says: It is incredibly difficult to get away from the stranglehold of Microsoft products, and we are planning to reinforce this by entering into an Enterprise Agreement with Microsoft later this year.

Similarly, you wont find much open source running in the offices of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead council. Rocco Labellarte, the organisations CIO, explains that a trial of productivity software suite Open Office was ultimately unsuccessful as it wasnt sufficiently compatible with other tools.

And other open source software was dismissed for different reasons.

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Open source in local government, and other unicorns