The ZOOOM Framework: Business Aspects of FOSS and Beyond

Companies can engage in the 3Os in many ways and for different reasons. In many cases, strategic and competitive advantages are at the core of a company’s decisions, but in other cases, motivations can involve social and ethical considerations such as reciprocity, altruism, and democratization of knowledge. In this talk, we outline the main business-related motivations identified by the ZOOOM project for using and contributing to FOSS. Among them: pursuing competitive advantage, reduction of development costs, technological innovation, access to knowledge or assets, and interoperability. Based on the interviews conducted by the ZOOOM partners, we also discuss major challenges and risks that businesses leveraging the 3Os must navigate.