Application Security for Open Source - The New Frontier

Building a partnership between security and engineering teams

Hybrid applications made up of proprietary, open source and third-party components are the result of today’s fast-paced and complex software development landscape. Applications developed within the last five years – whether internal or external – are at least 50% open source software (OSS) and third-party components. Of that amount, over one-third of it is undocumented. What were once purely proprietary applications are now complex code mashups. It’s safe to say that open source is everywhere – it’s woven throughout your enterprise network whether or not you are aware of it.

IDC Research has called the use of open source “the most significant, all-encompassing and long-term trend that the software industry has seen since the early 1980s.” [1] The study also revealed that open source was being used by 71% of worldwide developers, and was in production at 54% of their companies. Although upper management has only recently signed off on its use, developers have long understood that open source is the fastest (and cheapest) path to software innovation.

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Open source IT surveyed

INFORMATION technology can protect the integrity of democratic processes delegates at a United Nations-sponsored seminar on land management heard yesterday.

More than 25 delegates met at St Margarets College, Dunedin, to discuss the development and implementation of land management systems based on free ‘‘open source’’ computer software.

University of Otago School of Surveying lecturer Dr Donald McKinnon said the software could be adapted to record land ownership, and help with transfer of land titles and retrospective land claims at virtually no cost to people in developing nations.

‘‘In Cambodia, for instance, the Khmer Rouge destroyed all land records in the ’80s. Since 1995, every province has been reviewed. In the future, these systems might assist with land tenure cases like this, or after natural disasters,’’ he said.

The Open Source Cadastre and Land Registration seminar was funded by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and was hosted by the University of Otago School of Surveying.

FAO land tenure officer Mika Torhonen said the organisation regarded effective and efficient land management and registration as a way of improving the standard of living in developing nations.

‘‘Information technology is great for democracy and holds great promise for developing nations. It is very reliable and can be modified for specific groups. Its use could improve governance, make land tenure processes more equal and less susceptible to corruption. It also makes it easier to share information between countries,’’ he said.

New Zealand had a large role to play in developing land management systems which could be implemented elsewhere because of the country’s relatively successful resolution of land tenure issues with its indigenous people, he said.

Although the system was used in some developed nations such as the Bavarian states, in southern Germany, where state policy dictates local government use open sourced software it would gain momentum if developing nations ‘‘found a champion’’ country to implement the scheme, he said.

Delegates from Nepal, Vietnam, Fiji, the Kyrgyz Republic, Albania, Switzerland, Cambodia, Samoa and New Zealand attended the two-day conference, which concluded yesterday.

Source : http://www.odt.co.nz/

IBM Commits to Open Source

IBM gives a support to utilize open standards based tools. IBM is also challenging people in Indonesia to unleash their natural talents to utilize open source technology and become master thinkers who can innovate solutions and solving the problems that people face today.

According to Suryo Suwignjo, President Director, IBM Indonesia, organisations are looking for innovative software applications while the corporations of the future are looking for developers with tools and skills of tomorrow. "We want to raise the bar for the future of open source technology," said Suwignjo.

Currently, IBM closely partnered with the local government and academia to create an enabling environment by allowing free access to IBM software, course materials, training and curriculum development, helping Indonesia become an innovators's nation by investing in skills development and technology enablement. Such efforts will empower future workers with the right skills to be able to compete in the larger global workforce.

Source : http://www.sda-asia.com/