Open or closed? It’s a decisive question when choosing a database management system. During Open for GOV, a call for open source is heard, but the switch is not so easily made.
Open for GOV brings together IT experts from the Belgian open source community and the public sector around the table twice a year. The event aims to exchange ideas and experiences around embracing open source technology in the public sector. ITdaily joined in during the last edition of 2024, which was all about databases.
That one theme is the focus of the meeting is rather exceptional. “That’s because rarely, if ever, does one specific technology pose the problem. The complexity that organizations experience is precisely in ‘stapling’ different technologies together,” said Hans Dillen, Business Developing Manager at Kangaroot, in his welcome address.
Organizer Kangaroot has 25 years of experience in open source and Linux. Convincing the public sector to open source was initially not an obvious matter. The Tallinn Convention, approved on October 6, 2017 in the European Parliament, provided a tipping point in this. Today, Kangaroot can count several public institutions in Belgium among its customers.
The 1990s
Dirk Deridder, who is present on behalf of Smals, takes the floor. Deridder takes the audience for a lesson in history. “Ever since the 1930s there has been talk of an ‘information explosion.’ Data generation has evolved from centralization to decentralization to recentralization again. It sometimes seems like databases are stuck in the 1990s”.
Deridder clarifies his point. “The data explosion is no longer sustainable. Within our organization alone, the amount of data has grown from one petabyte to 29 petabytes in ten years. So how valuable is all that data? Data is often kept even when it is not needed (anymore). To control costs, we need to avoid wasting storage capacity. Data that doesn’t exist costs you zero dollars”.
Machiavellian licenses
Deridder is a welcome guest at open source conferences in our country. This is no coincidence, since Smals, as ICT supplier to Belgian social security institutions, wants to be a pioneer in the use of open source software in the public sector. The company’s ReUse platform relies largely on open source components.
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Throw out Oracle: are you better off with an open source database?
Smals himself is also in the midst of a process to transition his databases to open-source database management systems. “We have nearly 4,500 databases. About 40 percent of those are on Oracle platforms, compared to 18 percent on PostgreSQL. We are on the right track, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Deridder said.
Oracle’s name has been dropped, and it won’t be the last time. Oracle has one of the most widely used database management systems in its ranks with its Database platform, while PostgreSQL is emerging as the open alternative. Says Deridder, “Reasons for moving to open source where possible are easier configuration and clearer licensing. To understand Oracle’s licenses, you need a PhD. As a user, you have to figure out for yourself how to optimize your licenses.”
“That said, there are also many clichés about open source, for example that it is ‘cheap,'” Deridder added in his argument. “For me, the added value lies in developing sustainable ICT solutions and promoting cooperation and synergy, from a focus on quality. The fact that open source frees you from ‘Machiavellian’ licensing practices is a bonus.”
It sometimes seems like database management is stuck in the 1990s.
Dirk Deridder, director of IT infrastructure, operations, services and support at Smals
ICT out of the box
“Why open source? That question is as strange to me as it is relevant,” Deridder continued. “69 percent of all code worldwide is open source. The proprietary vendors might as well never exist without open source. But moving from proprietary software to open source is not easy because of that. In fact, it is a lot more difficult than the opposite path”.
“Migrating a database still requires a lot of manual work, which illustrates my earlier point that database management is stuck in the dark ages. Not all open source software is equal, sometimes you do need enterprise support. It’s a matter of finding the sweet spot “.
“To conclude, would I recommend switching to open source now? Yes, but watch out for vendor lock-in and be aware that the migration can be difficult. This won’t happen with two fingers in your nose: you have to put in enough time, planning and budget and know what you’re doing. ICT rarely comes ready-made out of the box,” De Ridder concludes.
To understand Oracle licensing, you need a PhD.
irk Deridder, director of IT infrastructure, operations, services and support at Smals