Why Kalamuna Endorses the UN Open Source Principles

What if the world’s most powerful institutions treated digital infrastructure like a public utility — open, shared, and accessible to all? That’s exactly what the United Nations has signaled with its new Open Source Principles, and it’s why Kalamuna is proud to stand behind them.

The United Nations Digital Technology Network recently adopted new Open Source Principles to encourage collaboration and accelerate the adoption of open source software (OSS) within the UN and globally. They advocate for open source as the default for digital projects, promoting contributions to the ecosystem, fostering inclusion, and building community.

I co-founded Kalamuna with the goal of empowering universities, nonprofits, and governments to own their message. Building with open source technologies such as Drupal and WordPress contributes in great part to these outcomes. Kalamuna as a whole hopes that endorsing the UN Open Source Principles will advance our clients’ abilities to control their own digital infrastructure, data, and technology, as well as contribute to the long-term sustainability of the open source ecosystem. 

What are the UN Open Source Principles?

The UN Open Source Principles consist of the following eight guidelines, and offer a framework for the use, development, and sharing of open source software:

• Open by default: Making open source the standard approach for projects.
• Contribute back: Encouraging active participation in the open source ecosystem.
• Secure by design: Making security a priority in all software projects.
• Foster inclusive participation and community building: Enabling and facilitating diverse and inclusive contributions.
• Design for reusability: Designing projects to be interoperable across various platforms and ecosystems.
• Provide documentation: Providing thorough documentation for end-users, integrators and developers.
• RISE (recognize, incentivize, support and empower): Empowering individuals and communities to actively participate.
• Sustain and scale: Supporting the development of solutions that meet the evolving needs of the UN system and beyond.

Why open source is no longer optional for software development

The adoption of open source software stands as a testament to its transformative power in the modern technological landscape. Far from being a fringe movement, OSS has evolved into a cornerstone of enterprise operations, with more than 90% of Fortune 500 companies using open source products. This widespread integration underscores OSS's role as a fundamental driver of both innovation and, crucially, sustained business success. Let’s unpack this.

OSS lower costs, increases efficiency

Using open source benefits an organization's bottom line and strategic agility. At its core, OSS offers a significant reduction in both development and maintenance costs, presenting an attractive alternative to proprietary solutions. Beyond cost efficiencies, it dramatically enhances the efficiency of engineering teams, streamlining workflows and accelerating project delivery. Furthermore, open source provides robust and adaptable frameworks that facilitate seamless transitions to cloud-native environments.

OSS future-proofs your applications and infrastructure

According to a 2023 survey, 4 in 5 companies rely on open source software for business-critical applications. This statistic underscores the strategic shift towards open source as a default, rather than an exception, in enterprise IT. The resilience of open source solutions is forged through a vast, interconnected global developer community that constantly refines, secures, and expands open source projects. This ensures their longevity and adaptability, leading to increased go-to-market speed, improved performance, and enhanced security. The benefits extend beyond initial rollout, offering greater flexibility, faster innovation, a better employee experience, and lower operational overhead, preparing organizations for future challenges.

OSS enables you to work with the best people

For organizations actively engaged in the open source ecosystem, a key advantage is talent acquisition. Open source grants access to a larger global pool of skilled workers for hiring or augmenting existing teams. Retraining and upskilling employees in open source technologies is also easier due to abundant resources, comprehensive documentation, and strong developer communities. Platforms like StackOverflow exemplify this collaborative spirit, receiving over 100 million monthly visitors seeking and sharing expertise.

What our team thinks

Our enthusiasm for open source is part of who we are; it's woven into the fabric of how we operate and the projects we undertake, and our individual team members’ thoughts on OSS reflect this:

“Open Source Principles are essential because they can help with learning and onboarding, foster a sense of community, and help avoid vendor lock-in.”

Rob Loach, Assoc. Director of Research and Innovation

“Open Source Principles allow for more learning opportunities and for adopting technologies faster.”

Yuri Seki, Web Developer

“Open Source Principles foster innovation, help building community and collaboration, increase transparency and provide more cost-effective solutions.”

Kelly Jacobs, Web Developer

“Open Source Principles allow government organizations to stay transparent and accountable to the public while building technological solutions using taxpayer money. Open source allows for more eyes on the code, which helps increase the quality of the end product. It prevents vendor lock-in and democratizes access.” 

Bob McDonald, Drupal Practice Lead

“Open Source Principles foster transparency and accountability, which improves the end code.”

Kristina Kaminski, Lead Front-end Developer

“Open Source Principles encourage redundancy and help prevent random vendors from deprecating products that you like.”

Jeff Hebert, WordPress Practice Lead

“Open Source Principles are innovation drivers in the technical world. They help keep developers sane and prevent burnout by sharing the load among a community of like-minded individuals.” 

Anna Mykhailova, Director of Technology

Building a more open, collaborative digital future—together

Kalamuna's endorsement of the UN Open Source Principles is a natural extension of our values and practices. We firmly believe in the power of collaborative development, transparency, and community to drive technological progress and deliver superior digital solutions. Our commitment to open source is unwavering, as we continue to leverage its benefits for our clients and contribute to its ongoing growth and evolution.