Open Source To Slash IT Costs For Community Groups.
Free and Open Source software (FOSS) could halve the cost of phone bills, save 60 per cent on software purchases and make savings on other areas of technologies such as web sites for voluntary and community sector (VCS)organisations, a trial has found.
The 'East of England FOSS in the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS),'
http://foss.ciac.org.uk/
project, operating in six counties, aims to test open source platforms to ultimately save VCS organisations money on installing and using information and communications technology.
The project, which ends next month, has seen around 40 organisations test the usefulness of FOSS platforms for projects in four areas: voice over IP (VoIP) telephony; content managed web sites; case tracking systems; and Open Office software installed on desktop computers. Programme leaders the Cambridge Independent Advice Centre (CIAC-
http://www.ciac.org.uk
built and installed servers in two organisations on which to run a VoIP telephony network allowing free calls for workers, who receive a three-digit personal number to make calls to destinations in this country and abroad.
Chief Executive of the Community and Voluntary Forum Eastern Region
http://www.cover-east.org/
Andrew Cogan, predicts his organisation could save 50 per cent on phone bills by using VoIP and 60 per cent on software purchases following the trials.
But barriers to take-up of VoIP telephony remain. "We'd like everyone to use [VoIP] - that's the Utopia," said CIAC project manager, Paul Ruskin.
"But it's not going to happen because not everybody is on broadband."
Additionally, trials of an open source web site content management system and web framework 'Joomla!'
http://www.joomla.org/
have attracted interest from beyond Cambridgeshire, where it has been tested by 7 organisations. According to Susie Halksworth of CIAC, VCS organisations could make huge savings in this area because companies charge 5,000 to 6,000 pounds to build a content-managed web site, while a
Joomla! site costs just 500 pounds.
The initiative was initially funded by 30,000 pounds from Home Office company ChangeUp
http://www.changeup.org.uk/
which supports voluntary and community organisations. Project leaders are currently seeking further funding to continue work achieved so far and a report will be published at the end of June.