Using Open Source Software to Compete with the Big Guys

One of the most frequent questions I am asked, or read about lately, is how to look professional enough to compete with the big guys. Everyone seems to want to look good while being comparable in offerings to the market leaders and their dynamically driven content web sites, but that's not always such an easy thing to do on a start-up budget. In truth, it's not even such an easy thing to do on a semi-established budget with a company established for a couple years, unless you know where to look and how to do it. Business owners surf the competition, see brilliant looking web sites with all the bells and whistles, and become somewhat bewildered at how to keep up or compete. Most of the big guys know the value of forums, regularly updating content, community building, and contributing writers, but how does the new guy keep up with such large promotional software budget wielding companies already entrenched in the market? Enter our superhero, the open source software community. The Pro's & Con's of Open Source Software Solutions. There are many arguments on the pro's and con's of the open source software community as a means of providing viable business solutions, but there are plenty of "big guys" that use these same open source solutions in effective ways. Some may argue because of the open source nature, and the software source being open to all, that there are major security issues to be overcome and you could face more chances of an open source web site being "hacked" than a custom-programmed solution type of web site. Others may warn of the "cookie cutter" appearance of such open source solutions, or the open source code opposed to the benefits of a professional's code, but because of the sheer numbers of contributors in an open source community, and some of those contributors being professional software developers, I would tend to disagree with most of the negative arguments. The only argument I would somewhat agree with is the argument of open source code being more "hack prone" than private solutions because of the availability of the open source solution's source code, but since open source developers realize this potential danger, most take extreme measures to ensure tight security and various security levels being added to their code. Real World Examples of Open Source Software as a Viable Means of Web Site Competition. Some of the more notable "big guys" using open source solutions include companies like WebProWorld, almost ALL PHPNuke sites using the bulletin board module including Raven's PHP Scripts, IGD Software, Simple Machines, Raven's PHP Scripts, NSN Scripts where their forums and members are constantly keeping an eye on security issues and posting patches and tweaks to help you make the best of your newly installed portal. With NSN's release of Nuke Sentinel, and the ability to combine it with other security layers like Protector System, it adds additional layers of security to your code and prevents your open source code from being hacked so easily. The bottom line about hackers is if they want into your site bad enough, there is some server vulnerability to exploit, and they can find it, then they are going to get ! in. Placing multiple security layers in your open source software helps to thwart these hack attacks, and the developers are improving their code almost daily when new exploits are found. There are vulnerabilities in all code, but the open source community gets the brunt of the negative feedback simply because their code is readily available, unlike the paid solutions, and that makes them more prone to hackers because the information is readily out their to exploit. Reality is that paid solutions are hacked too. It all depends on web site popularity, what the hacker thinks they can get from hacking your site, and how easy you make it for them to hack it. Higher profile web sites with tons of visitors that collect membership information and personal information are always going to be prime targets no matter which choice you make. The more security layers you can add to your solution the better off you will be when facing a hacker's attack. Because of the sheer numbers within most open source communities, they usually tend to catch vulnerabilities quicker, and have more people working on those fixes than a typical paid solution provider. In most open source communities, you can often get "quick fixes" within hours of finding a vulnerability, and then patches that will close the hole up permanently within a few more hours. Open Source Software to fit Your Competition Needs. So far, I have talked about PHPNuke, which is a CMS portal, and phpBB, which is a bulletin board. If you want a bulletin board without any other functionality, then phpBB is for you. If you want a CMS combined with bulletin board capability, then PHPNuke is what you need. Both are fairly easy to install and maintain, but depending on additional modules, you may want to add to PHPNuke, you may find yourself a bit behind the learning curve unless you know PHP in and out. Both offer template integration, so it is fairly easy to customize your site to look the way you want it to. But maybe you need a combination CMS, bulleting board, AND E-commerce solution? That's easy enough too. You see, with PHPNuke and other forks, which I won't mention as it is too much to address in this one article, there are developers rewriting other open source solutions to allow them to plug into PHPNuke. Take for instance, OSCommerce open source E-commerce cart created by OSCommerce. OSC2Nuke offers a download for their module directly from their web site. But maybe you want to offer an image gallery with CMS abilities instead of E-commerce modules. Easy enough. There just happens to be another web site that offers a module plug-in for PHPNuke called phpadsnew. This is a fully functional banner ad rotation manger based on an open source solution. If you are familiar with Commission Junction, then you are familiar with ad rotation through inserting code within your pages and setting up zones for ads to run through. Phpadsnew offers the same type of functionality with a very important difference; you choose the ads you want to add based on your own programs instead of having to select programs Commission Junction limits you to. They do recommend cron access to run the maintenance script every hour, but there is even a solution for those without cron access. This is another template driven solution you can tweak to match the look and feel of your web site. It also allows you to provide password protected access and user restrictions to potential customers wanting to purchase banner or text advertising on your web site. Just set up the zones and ad types through the admin interface, insert the code throughout your site, create user names and logins for your customers, and then email them the information once they have paid. It provides complete reporting options, tracks impressions and clicks, and a whole lot more. You can even download comprehensive installation and set-up documentation in PDF format from their web site. It has a slightly high learning curve if you lack experience with banner rotation programs, but it includes all the essential tools for anyone wanting to either rotate dynamic ads throughout their web site, or those wanting to sell ad space to advertisers. Open Source Software for CRM Needs. The next thing I think of when it comes to running a business online is the ability to keep track of customer and potential customer information. No matter what kind of marketing scheme you decide to implement, keeping track of such information is critical to your marketing scheme's follow-up planning. Although Microsoft Office offers quite capable tools for doing such a thing, there is an open source php driven tool to do the same without having to figure out how to make Office do it for you, or the large financial investment Microsoft Office requires. Enter our next open source hero Summing up the Value of Open Source Solutions. The bottom line facts are simple. Open source solutions are a viable option to competing with the "big guys" and there are many sites on the internet to provide proof of that fact. Open source solutions are more for the "do it yourselfers" that know a bit about html or php, or those having the time to learn and looking for instant solutions to get their business online. The paid solutions are still there for those with the money to afford them and wanting to get operational ASAP. If you don't know html, then research their products and services and buy them instead. If you don't have the time to devote to proper keyword research for your web site or the time to build your own pages, then again, buy their products or services instead. But if you are a "do it yourselfer", and have some time to devote to your own project, then take the open source solution and work with it. It's more economical than paid solutions and can lower your business overhead when starting out. Work with the open source solution until your business can afford the paid solutions or just work with them because they provide a superior product as a free service. Don't rule them out just because you failed to have all the facts before giving them a chance. James R. Sanders is the owner of