
%         How to talk to Business people about the value of Open Source                  
%                              Art Cannon (acannon@us.ibm.com)                
                                               
The basic tenet of any business is to make     
profit by capitalizing on market opportunities 
when they present themselves. A visionary may  
be able to see the convergence of various      
technologies and accurately predict a paradigm 
shift. It is left to the business person to    
know who to listen to, and when and how to     
act. It is much easier to do this if one       
remains flexible (open to new ideas) and has a 
business information technology process which  
accommodates change. When executed properly,   
use of disruptive technology can bring both a  
tactical and strategic advantage.              
                                               
In this world, \textit{there are 10 types of people,  those that understand binary and those that do not.} 
Consider this talk an introduction which 
will give people who do understand some        
insight into how to market and sell, to people 
who do not understand. I intend to provide the 
participants with a common approach to selling 
and implementing their ideas with their        
customers (internal or external). It will      
provide a common understanding of how to       
approach selling by understanding              
requirements, pain points and vocabulary.      
Acquisition costs can be minuscule compared to 
operating costs. I will include examination of 
some of the costs of open source adoption and  
an understanding of why its adoption will and  
does vary by geography.                        
