“Innovation is driven by Open Source Software,” wrote Christof Ebert, Managing Director of Vector Consulting Services for The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Computer Society Magazine. “Today, we rarely see traditional software development, where one company designs and builds an application, or product from scratch and then integrates and evolves it within a defined market. That’s no longer a healthy business case. Companies are moving to the applications and service level, increasingly relying on reused, externally available components.”

Industrial companies — realizing global competition is fierce and Open Source Software (OSS) is the emerging business model — are increasingly becoming advocates of open source technology and innovation. It’s why over 40 businesses, including such reputable firms as Johnson Controls and Caterpillar, are members of Open Invention Network.