Open, closed and hybrid source software: Here’s the difference
Catharina Mensak
February 18, 2016
The ERP system is the heart of the organization and contains a wealth of confidential company information. Are you considering a B2B online shop that will integrate with your ERP system? Then it is important that it is secure. Because of the large volume of data, it contains, your online shop will be a likely target for cybercriminals. With the right software, however, they won’t stand a chance. Open, closed, or hybrid source software: which type is the safest? And what is really the difference?
Open source software
As the name suggests, open source software is accessible to everyone. Everyone can use the source code, explore it and change it. This has benefits but also brings with it some dangers.
On the one hand, the weaknesses and flaws in the code will be discovered more quickly. The security of the system is constantly being tested and is always in full development. Security updates and expansions will be coming out continuously.
Furthermore, you will not be tied to one supplier to deliver the software. After all, you yourself are the owner of the source code. On the other hand, it is easier for cybercriminals to break in. Once they have cracked the code, a goldmine of sensitive information will be accessible to them.
Closed source software
With closed source software it is a different story altogether. Closed source software cannot be altered by just anyone. The developer alone has the rights to do that and hackers will have a harder time breaking in.
But it also means that instead of a large community of developers only the supplier of the software can investigate it and make changes to it. In order to stay ahead of cybercriminals, the supplier of the software has to make large investments in development and licensing. Those costs are ultimately borne by the end-user.
Furthermore, you will always be a lot more dependent on your software supplier than you will be with open source.
Hybrid source software
Sana combines the best of both worlds and has developed a hybrid solution.
We not only secure the connections with the internet but also the source code of the software itself is protected from cybercriminals in the best way possible. Hybrid source software is based on open source, but can only be used and modified by a select group of partners, developers and users. The code is protected, checked continuously and always in full development.
This way your customers can rely on a fully secure B2B web store.
