Podcast: Community Source Software: The Beginning of the End, or the End of the Beginning?

This hour and seventeen minute podcast features a panel discussion from the EDUCAUSE 2008 Enterprise Conference in Chicago. This lively discussion, "Community Source Software: The Beginning of the End, or the End of the Beginning?," includes:

• Laura McCain Patterson, Associate VP, Information Systems, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
• Richard Spencer, Acting CIO and AVP IT, The University of British Columbia
• Brad Wheeler, VP for IT, CIO, and Professor, Indiana University
• Session moderator: Andrea Di Maio, VP Distinguished Analyst, Gartner, Inc.

Community source is designed to coordinate the work of different user IT organizations sharing the same purpose and requirements. An alternative to commercial applications and custom development, it gives users control and shares risk across peer organizations. Although several such public sector communities exist and yield great promises, many struggle with achieving critical mass and a viable business model. This panel compares and contrasts community source with more traditional software sourcing options and explores critical sustainability success factors.