Manila, Philippines - e-Services 2009 - February 10, 2009 - "In today's economic uncertainty, open source software (OSS) and the software as a service (SaaS) model offer businesses of all sizes the more practical choice," according to Winston Damarillo, CEO of Global Gateway Innovation Exchange (G2iX). “OSS delivered as SaaS can drive down the costs involved in acquiring software, are easier to consume, and readily available and accessible to serve today's most demanding business landscape.” 

A recent IDC report supports Damarillo’s views. Research and analysis firm IDC released a report that indicates the viability of the OSS model, believing that, "open source will eventually play a role in the life-cycle of every major software category, and will fundamentally change the value proposition of packaged software for customers." Cost savings remains as the primary reason for the adoption of open source software. In a separate survey, IDC had reported that "the majority of revenue from OSS (59 percent on average) is from subscriptions." 

Damarillo asserted that, "As IT budgets get crunched, organizations have a tendency to look for ways to cut costs, or stretch purchasing cycles. Licensing costs, laborious maintenance, and additional personnel related with proprietary softwares are no longer necessities, and just not worth it.”

In his talk in the recent e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition 2009, Damarillo emphasized that, “With OSS delivered as subscription model, servers and software need not be stored and kept up-to-date, significantly reducing time, costs, and headaches. Those that adopt these two models will realize a transformation that can ultimately deliver innovations within their organization."

Damarillo is often referred to as a successful serial technology entrepreneur, having founded a number of internationally successful startups. He is also managing director of Global Gateway Venture Capital, a venture capital fund based in the US and the Philippines and a leading proponent of open source in Asia. His career as a venture capitalist began with Intel Capital, where he was one of the top performing professionals.