NCC Members have free access to this Guideline on the Principia website.

The movement towards Open Source software continues to receive much press attention, largely this concentrates on the technical, legal and political aspects of Open Source as apposed to the proprietary options. Whilst this has some interest for those who are already committed to Open Source, it has only limited relevance for the bulk of the business community. Most business managers are interested in some rather more pragmatic questions, such as:

• What business advantage (if any) does Open Source offer my company?
• How stable are Open Source products and the organisations that create and maintain them?
• What are the risks involved in implementing Open Source?
• How can I decide which Open Source software is useful for my business?
• How and where can I obtain software and support?
• What organisational and other changes will be needed to migrate to Open Source?