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E-business requires secure, stable systems that work seamlessly between trading partners. Linux and Open Source provide both the technology and the philosophy to achieve these systems. It should be obvious by now the cost benefits, security and stability that Open Source offers. The sooner you start your move to Open Source the better.
The question is 'How to make the change?'
netproject is a leading consultancy that is working with organisations that are making the move to Linux & Open Source. netproject has an unblemished track record of implementing Unix and Linux systems that meet users requirements, on time and to budget. netproject clients include High Street Banks, Insurance Companies, Building Societies, Central and Local Government, UK Police Forces, Defence Contractors, Public Utilities, etc. Recent consultancy projects include working with:
We can help ensure your move to Linux & Open Source is a success.
The success of the Internet and the World Wide Web is because of the use of vendor-neutral standards. The same applies to the systems that drive e-business.
IT managers have been asking for vendor-neutral open computing for many years. With the advent of e-business, it is essential - and quite attainable thanks to recent developments in Open Source software and Linux in particular. So widely are these being taken up that e-business will soon be dominated by software that rigorously conforms to international standards.
However since Open Source software is free, nobody has a great financial interest in selling it. If you rely on being persuaded by the familiar apparatus of high-pressure sales, you will have a long wait!
You need to ask yourself will Linux and Open Source:
Unix was the first mainstream, hardware independent, operating system that was created as a result of co-operation between people from different organisations. This co-operation was stopped dead when AT&T's licensing of Unix lead to the proliferation of different vendor versions, each slightly different.
Richard Stallman established the GNU project ('GNU is Not Unix') and wrote the GNU General Public License (GPL). This established the basis for the shared development and use of software which anyone can study and, if they wish, contribute to its development. Those who use Open Source software can feed back bug reports and suggest improvements. The Open Source process has a track record of producing stable, efficient and secure software. It is written and maintained by people who use it; who want it to be as good as it can be. The benefits gained are tangible and can be seen in very low cost of ownership.
The success of the Internet and the World Wide Web are due to the exclusive use of open standards and protocols. Standards are not simply something that can be tagged onto proprietary technology and then expected to inter-work. The success of your move into e-business will rely on the use of Open Source.
netproject is a consultancy working with organisations helping achieve the infrastructure that enables e-business. netproject also provides a forum for like-minded IT managers who are investigating and deploying Open Source software. Organisations pay an annual subscription. This gives access to collaborative projects undertaken by netproject which:
Despite the huge amount of money and resources spent on mainstream desktop computing it is now obvious that yet more of the same is not the way forward. The Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA) initiative, supported by IBM, Microsoft, Intel, etc. is about engineering a new desktop architecture that can be trusted. A trusted desktop must have a secure and publicly defined, application program interface, must not support macros and have a file system that enables executable code and data to be differentiated. These are provided by Linux and so will enable a smooth migration to TCPA compliant desktop computers.
When it comes to Linux on the desktop lessons must be learnt from the past.
The desktop must:
netproject is working with a range of organisations that are deploying Linux desktop workstations.
netproject provides a forum for the interchange of ideas and practical experiences and provides demonstrators that showcase the use of Linux & Open Source to enable secure end to end computing. netproject undertakes consultancy work for organisations that are migrating to an Open Source infrastructure while still enabling support for existing applications and proprietary file formats.
netproject employs one of the key GNOME developers and works with consultants who are contributing to major Open Source developments including the WINE project that enables applications that conform to the Microsoft Win32 API to run under Linux.
netproject has configured a low priced Linux desktop workstation that netproject subscribers are using to start their move to an Open Source desktop. Smart cards enable user identification. A central LDAP server is used for authentication. Work on the use of Open Source to enable authorisation, using an Open Source PKI, is progressing.
The netproject subscribers that are working on the issues of deploying Linux desktop computers have formed a club where they freely share their ideas and experiences.
With the increasing number of systems users have to log onto, the need to simplify log on has become a necessity. What's more e-business requires a consistent approach where organisations can authenticate remote users and ensure the confidentiality and integrity of messages sent over the Internet.
Work carried out by netproject in association with the UK Government's Office of the e-Envoy and Communications-Electronics Security Group (CESG) has shown the need for a vendor neutral approach to secure authentication of remote users and for exchanging confidential information over the Internet. The appraoches to remote authentication are ones that are being addressed in netproject seminars and workshops.
This work is concerned with enabling authenticated users to access resources. There are several approaches that provide a solution, including Kerberos and the use of directory servers that define the roles of various catagories of users and against which users can be authorised.
netproject keeps subscribers fully informed of the work that netproject undertakes in software releases, reports, seminars and master classes delivered by those engaged in these projects.
netproject commissions the leading authorities, world wide, to develop workshops and master classes for subscribers. These enable a thorough understanding of the issues of achieving secure distributed systems. To ensure maximum benefit from netproject events, relevant papers and software are distributed prior to events to ensure that delegates to workshops can maximise the benefits by having an understanding of the issues before attending the workshops.
netproject is developing systems that show the practical use of GNU Open Source software and the issues of inter-working with proprietary systems. netproject subscribers have access to this work to evaluate the new technologies and familiarise themselves with the deployment issues. netproject gives the facts - warts and all - that allow informed decisions to be made without any sales hype or pressure.
netproject commits to:
netproject is an independent consultancy that provides user organisations a forum free from any vendor sales hype or pressure.
netproject examines how to achieve systems that enable secure e-business, that enable compatibility with existing systems By:
The subscription structure is designed to meet the needs of all:
The fee for attending a single netproject event is £550 plus VAT.
For organisations that require several of their staff to attend netproject events the following annual subscription schemes apply:
For those with IT expenditure up to £1 million: £9,950 plus VAT;
- Includes 16 days attendance at netproject events
For those with IT expenditure up to £10 million: £14,950 plus VAT;
- Includes 26 days attendance at netproject events and one on site workshop.
For those with IT expenditure up to £100 million: £19,950 plus VAT;
- Includes 40 days attendance at netproject events and two on site workshops.
For those with IT expenditure above £100 million: £24,950 plus VAT;
- Includes 60 days attendance at netproject events and three on site workshops.
An annual subscription provides the following benefits: