Open source code: How the cloud benefits from open source

In this article you will read about,

• what open source means,
• why the Open Telekom Cloud relies on an open software basis,
• and what are the advantages it offers customers.

Sharing knowledge and contributing to the common good with improvements: These are the core values of the open source movement. Openness, collaboration and community spirit, the renunciation of restrictive licenses and copyrights are among the most important principles. This is because the open source approach is about making the source code of software components freely available. This means that they should be free for all to view, use, copy, and edit. In addition, they should function in a scalable manner, without limitations on individual applications, functions, or performance. In principle, the software can be used for any purpose, since the source code is freely accessible and modifiable. This means that developers are not only allowed, but even encouraged, to modify and optimize the software and then make their further developments and improvements available to the community.

Open source software and open source components are now an integral part of digital developments in the corporate world – including as an "operating system" for cloud technologies. OpenStack has now established itself globally as an important de facto standard for cloud computing. The platform consists of a network of core components that interact with each other. Different services control and manage servers and virtual machines, object storage, and the provision of virtualized block storage. They also provide the user interface and applications for authentication and access rights. In accordance with the principle of openness, OpenStack can be combined with many open source systems and tools, for example with container solutions such as Docker and with frameworks such as Kubernetes.

The Open Telekom Cloud also works with open source technology in its data centers in Saxony-Anhalt, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The advantages? The open source solution OpenStack is continuously worked on and constantly improved by a global developer community. This includes experts from start-ups, internationally active software companies, and established firms such as large cloud providers. They continuously adapt the system to the dynamic requirements of the market. In addition, the community regularly checks the code for the cloud services before each release to find and fix errors or security gaps. In 2012, the open source project received a stronger organizational framework with the establishment of the OpenStack Foundation. At the end of 2020, this merged into the Open Infrastructure Foundation (OIF) – the organizer of the OpenInfra Summit. 

What’s particularly important for companies is the flexibility offered by the open platform for cloud infrastructures. This is because users are not tied to a single provider. There’s no problem switching to other public cloud environments or their own IT infrastructures. The interaction of private cloud and public cloud also works smoothly on the basis of OpenStack. This enables companies to set up and use hybrid cloud solutions in an uncomplicated manner. The situation is different if a cloud provider relies entirely on proprietary software. Switching to a different provider may then cost a large amount of time and money. There is a risk of vendor lock-in, which makes the transition to another provider difficult and unprofitable. 

And what’s more, openness and security are by no means contradictory in the open source project. After all, the open source code provides the basis for building and executing the virtual machines and systems in which data is stored and processed during the application operation. However, the code itself is separated from data at all times. And although the blueprint is known in open standards, if the code is executed cleanly, this doesn’t allow cybercriminals to gain access. Additional services, tools, and testing procedures also contribute to the secure development as well as quality assurance.

With its OpenStack-based solution from European data centers, the Open Telekom Cloud also offers an appropriate level of data protection at all times. Because as a provider based in Europe, it guarantees that personal data is not processed in third countries.