alfresco

Chalk one up for Linux and Health Care

When it comes to health care it always seems as though it and Linux have a strange relationship. Doctors tend to purchase software without any thought to cost or licensing. The generally leads them into a one-size-fits-all solution and they just deal with the shortcomings of the software or go and buy another one-size-fits all solution to cover the shortcomings. And so begins the “Endless Circle” of purchasing software, licensing and annual maintenance costs.

Now enter CRIX International (The Clinical Research Information Exchange), Red Hat, Alfresco and JBoss.

CRIX is a not-for-profit collaborative consortium that includes government agencies, members of the bio-pharmaceutical industry, academic researchers, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders in development of new drug therapies. Typically pharmaceutical research is slow and expensive. There is a tremendous amount of research data that has to get passed from company to company, including the FDA.

CRIX chose to use Red Hat, JBoss and Alfresco to make collaboration easier, faster and less expensive between all of the consortium members. Now as soon as a document is submitted all interested parties in the consortium have access to the information. If suggestions or editing ned to be made or done they are done very quickly and without having to send paper, cdrom’s or attachments by email to all of the parties. Alfresco’s software takes care of the version control. Alfesco is the perfect choice for this project since it is compatible with all major software suites including Microsoft Office. If you are a Windows user you can still use shared drives.

The benefits of this marriage

Will enable previously unmatched levels of collaboration among pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, academic institutions, and health care providers to make the drug development, testing, and approval process more secure and efficient while reducing costs and safeguarding the safety of the end consumer

The software that they developed became known as the CRIX Collaborative Platform. The CRIX Collaborative Platform was developed using Red Hat, Alfresco ECM and several components of the JBoss middleware. The reason for this is simple. It allows participants in the project and ISV’s to create whatever components or plugins they need to enhance the software for their particular use or need. Remember the “Endless Circle” above? Over and done with. Kaput. History. With the “Endless Circle” no longer in play now it is quicker and considerably less expensive to bring a drug to market.

Kudo’s to the folks at CRIX, Red Hat and Alfresco for making this happen. Anyone in the medical field should pay attention to this type of solution. It will pay huge dividends in the future. Not only will you get software that does exactly what you want, at a free to low cost, if your needs change you can recode the software meet those changing needs.

References: here

-j

Open Source products that add to the bottom line

I have often wondered when the thought processes of people would shift from equating Linux and Open Source as one and the same. I need not wonder any longer as that time is here. And this is a good thing.

In the past people, more often than not, spoke of Linux and Open Source in a way that would lead one to believe that they are one and the same. Until a year or two ago this was probably true as most open source applications were only available on Linux. Now though, open source applications are standing on their own and are becoming known as Open Source applications not Linux applications.

Kudos to the developers for causing this shift. Why? The open source developers, unlike Windows developers, are creating cross platform applications that will either run on Windows or run Windows software. They are doing this at breakneck speed as well. It is easy to understand why when you look at the economic business models of open source.

The business models of open source generate revenue by selling update and support services as opposed to selling licenses. It is the nature of open source to not sell licenses as the source code is open. There would be no point in it.

Now take a look at the economy. It’s not rocket science to see that spending, even IT spending, is slowing down. Now, if I have a product that I will let you have for free and even give you the choice of whether or not to by updates and service with it, and it will run on Windows or Linux, what are you going to do? Go buy the Windows only application with all of it’s license fees plus the annual “maintenance” fee that is 20% of the original license fee? Only if you don’t have the sense God gave a baboon.

I’ll give you some examples of open source applications that fill the need for productive and secure applications that can be done at an open source cost.

Vyatta open source routers. From their website: “Vyatta solutions combine the features, performance, and reliability of an enterprise router and firewall with the cost savings, flexibility, and security of open source to introduce new levels of economics, choice, and control into the network.”. If you interpret “enterprise router and firewall” as Cisco or HP you are probably right on the money. No pun intended.

How about Jitterbit open source integration software? Jitterbit handles integration of data between heterogeneous applications so that the information is combined. With a customer list that includes NASA and Continental Airlines who would think that they shouldn’t use open source software?

There are many others out there including Alfresco that competes with Microsoft’s Sharepoint to the point of integrating with Microsoft Office and offering shared drives. Take the Zimbra Collaboration Suite that has seamless compatibility with clients like Microsoft Outlook, Apple desktop suite, and Mozilla Thunderbird, add in the connectors for Blackberry, Smartphone and Alfresco and you have a collaboration suite that rivals any on the market for functionality and beats them on cost whether or not you purchase their services.

So given today’s economy and the fact the company needs to generate a profit to keep from laying off people, I believe you should strongly consider what open source has to offer.

-j