Make sure proprietary, open-source code remain separate
(InfoWorld) IT organizations that feel safe from open-source licensing violations might be wise to check their code anyway, because open-source components are rapidly seeping into applications by way of offshore and in-house developers taking shortcuts, as well as a growing population of open-source-savvy grads entering the workforce.
"With all of these new aspects, open source is something companies are going to have to get their heads around," says Anthony Armenta, vice president of engineering at Wyse Technology Inc., a maker of thin clients.
It's not just about unearthing open-source code that's in violation of licensing, either. Open source must be managed like any other software component as security vulnerabilities arise and patches become available. Wyse has been using Palamida Inc. to track its open-source usage for the past year. Palamida checks code bases against a 6TB library of known open-source projects, fingerprints and binary files.
Last year, Palamida added open-source vulnerability alerts and other security-related features to its service. Today, the company announced both electronic delivery of vulnerability updates and unique identifiers to better manage open-source code.
One Palamida customer, a commercial software vendor, discovered nearly 24 million lines of undocumented open source among the 60 million lines in its core product's code base, Palamida says. Another Palamida customer found that it had received open-source code from a third-party developer, in violation of its agreement.
More: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9115183&source=NLT_AM&nlid=1
(InfoWorld) IT organizations that feel safe from open-source licensing violations might be wise to check their code anyway, because open-source components are rapidly seeping into applications by way of offshore and in-house developers taking shortcuts, as well as a growing population of open-source-savvy grads entering the workforce.
"With all of these new aspects, open source is something companies are going to have to get their heads around," says Anthony Armenta, vice president of engineering at Wyse Technology Inc., a maker of thin clients.
It's not just about unearthing open-source code that's in violation of licensing, either. Open source must be managed like any other software component as security vulnerabilities arise and patches become available. Wyse has been using Palamida Inc. to track its open-source usage for the past year. Palamida checks code bases against a 6TB library of known open-source projects, fingerprints and binary files.
Last year, Palamida added open-source vulnerability alerts and other security-related features to its service. Today, the company announced both electronic delivery of vulnerability updates and unique identifiers to better manage open-source code.
One Palamida customer, a commercial software vendor, discovered nearly 24 million lines of undocumented open source among the 60 million lines in its core product's code base, Palamida says. Another Palamida customer found that it had received open-source code from a third-party developer, in violation of its agreement.
More: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9115183&source=NLT_AM&nlid=1
