02129nas a2200121   4500008004100000022001400041245005700055210005700112260004200169520174200211100001801953856003601971       2009                        eng d  a1913-610200aCollaborative Software Development in the Enterprise0 aCollaborative Software Development in the Enterprise  aOttawabTalent First Networkc01/20093 aOpen source has been many things to many people. In most cases, open source software  has focused on the tools and the infrastructure software used to build and deploy applications. Relative to infrastructure, little use or investment has occurred in the development of industry specific or vertical oriented open source solutions. This is not only a missed opportunity for organizations, but it is also possibly the next wave of open source collaborations.

An important lesson of OSS is a development process that requires collaboration between individuals and organizations that isn't necessarily driven by a traditional hierarchy of command and control. Information technology departments are driven to be more efficient while simultaneously creating innovative new solutions to meet their business needs. More and more, companies are turning to external sources for ideas that drive innovation. A series of books by Henry Chesbrough has coined the term "innovation networks" to discuss research and development departments that treat their research and development systems as an open system. They describe how to include partners, customers and even competitors as part of an extended research and development team.

However, that series does not answer the question "can OSS can be used to establish innovation networks for IT departments?". Further, what steps are required to establish a successful software innovation network and what are the resulting benefits for organizations? For the most part, this article will draw upon the experiences of Eclipse open source projects. These projects often include competing independent software vendors that collaborate on building a common platform for developer tools integration.1 aSkerrett, Ian  uhttp://timreview.ca/article/219