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Press Release Open Source Academy

Open Web Solutions press release for OSA Project

March 06, 2006


OpenWeb Solution helps local government choose open software


OpenWeb Solution took a new version of the UK government's flagship portal for open source software, the Open Source Academy (www.opensourceacademy.gov.uk), live today. As with the first phase, the second phase of the portal was deployed by the pan-European team on time and on budget.


The Open Source Academy is an e-innovations project funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. It aims to create an environment where open source software (OSS) is safe to deploy, therefore encouraging and easing its adoption in UK Local Authorities of all sizes. It will provide research into the claims of OSS and present a portfolio of case studies of OSS deployments within local authorities, thus supporting the development of government policy towards OSS. The portal will be a key mechanism for gathering and disseminating the Academy's findings.


Bob Blatchford, Director of Open Forum Europe (the Open Source Academy partner operating the portal), said: “This is an exciting project for the open source community. Not only are we demonstrating that open source software can run significant applications for the government, but we are showing that OSS systems can be deployed within tight budgets and to challenging timescales. We delivered the first version of the portal within 3 months, then demonstrated that this wasn't a fluke by delivering a major upgrade to similar timescales.”


OpenWeb Solution brought together a pan-European consortium of small companies to deliver the portal. The companies included


Mike Mathias, Managing Director of OpenWeb Solution, said: “The team has done a great job. Graham’s steady hand has helped define a common vision for the portal and manage the project's iterations through to a successful conclusion, and the guys at Reflab have regularly delivered high quality code to a disparate and demanding set of clients within the Open Source Academy. It's by building teams like this that OpenWeb Solution is helping bridge the divide between the open source community and the business world.”


Graham Oakes, principal of Graham Oakes Limited, said: “Open Source is an increasingly attractive option for many systems, but there is a lot of advocacy and disinformation being put forwards from both sides of the OSS debate. The Open Source Academy will help provide validated information to support decision makers in Local Authorities. It’s good to see initiatives like this take off, and good to be part of helping them succeed.”


The European Union recently signed contracts with Open Forum Europe and its partners to deploy additional portals on the base infrastructure developed for the Open Source Academy. These portals will provide information on OSS to small and medium enterprises across Europe, and will be built by the OpenWeb team in the coming months.




Notes for Editors:-

OpenWeb Solution designs, develops and supports dynamic, data-driven websites based on open source software. It has helped clients including BOC, GE, Motorola, Newmarket Travel and R K Harrison throughout all phases of the project lifecyle, from initial strategy through implementation into support and benefits realisation.


Graham Oakes Ltd specialises in helping people to understand how to use technology to transform their business. Its principal, Dr Graham Oakes, has helped many clients in both the public and private sector, including Oxfam, National Savings & Investments, and Cisco Systems, to build a clear picture of their organisation and to understand how systems can better support their efforts. Images of Dr. Graham Oakes are available on request and media interviews can be arranged.


Reflab is an Open Source Company specialized in supporting Plone and Zope technologies for medium-large deployments. From technical design, development and consulting to training and support, it provides the knowledge and experience to leverage at maximum the power of these Open Source tools and improve the quality of client's software and projects.



For press enquiries, please contact Jane Worsdall / Danielle Newman, Pazang Ltd, on 0845 090 0171 or email jane.worsdall@pazang.co.uk / danielle.newman@pazang.co.uk