The 451 Group recently published a fascinating report on open source: Cashing in on Open Source Software. This report written by Rachel Chalmers with support from John Abbott, Chris Noble and Martin Schneider, is more than 100 pages in length and provides one of the most insightful analysis of the open source business model I have read in a long time, with detailed profiles of leading open source companies and documented customer success stories.

Covering a wide range of issues from licensing to customer support and community management, the report provides clear recommendations and comprehensive decision flow charts that will help any entrepreneur, investor and customer figure out if open source is good for them and under what conditions the model should be adopted. I found comments on hybrid models to be especially useful when trying to refine an open source strategy that can best compete with established commercial offerings.

Report’s conclusion? Open Source is here to stay, so get ready!