At Otherside at Work, we develop the Xpert Suite to support organizations in absenteeism management, sustainable employability and social security. The Xpert Suite is a SaaS solution that supports employees, gives organizations a grip and connects chain partners. Selecting the right technologies for our tech stack is essential to the success and reliability of our business. In these choices, we believe in a pragmatic approach: we choose the technology that is most suitable for the specific task. In this blog, Stef Roskam, VP Engineering at Otherside at Work, discusses our vision on building this tech stack. The choice of open source and closed source software and the considerations underlying this are central to this.
Life cycle management: the core of our choices
"Our codebase is what our entire company runs on. Given the size of the codebase, it is not realistic that it can be completely replaced in one go. This means that we set high standards for the core components within our infrastructure," Stef explains. These components must:
Stef continues: "Because of these requirements, we choose open source software for crucial components. Open source gives us the freedom and flexibility to respond appropriately to changes from vendors or maintainers, minimizing dependency on a single party."
Vendor lock-in: a key focus for core components
With open source (with the right licenses) you also avoid the risk of Vendor lock-in. Vendor lock-in can pose significant risks, especially when it comes to software that is difficult to replace. Stef gives an example: "Suppose, for example, that one of our suppliers suddenly increases the license costs by a substantial amount. If we cannot switch to another system because of the high number of man-years to (partially) replace the codebase, we may be stuck with high costs for years. To manage these risks, we use open source with good licenses for everything that requires a lot of effort to replace." The most important examples are:
For all other components, the following applies: look at what fits best
"For parts in our tech stack that take less time to replace, we use different considerations. Think of components such as backup software, locally used components in our SaaS platform, firewalls, proxies and hosting platforms," says Stef. For these uses, the following are assessed:
Safety: open source versus closed source
"It is often assumed that open source software is more secure because the code is publicly accessible and can be reviewed by a broad community. In practice, however, this assumption does not always apply," says Stef. He continues: "Many open source projects are maintained by small teams, or even by a single developer, which can limit the level of control and further development. In addition, there are plenty of examples of open source that have shown that they had vulnerabilities. It must be stated that closed source software is not necessarily more secure." To assess how secure a collaboration with a supplier is, the following are considered, among other things:
"In our decisions, we therefore attach great importance to the reputation and reliability of the vendor or community, regardless of whether the software is open or closed source."
Other evaluation criteria for software selection
Stef explains how our approach to selecting open source or closed source is characterized by a critical evaluation of, among other things:
"A good example is our choice for .NET. Although this framework is open source, it offers a strong guarantee of continuity thanks to the support of Microsoft and a wide user network. With smaller suppliers or lesser-known technologies, we carry out more frequent and more intensive evaluations to gain certainty about quality and future-proofing."
Conclusion: a balanced approach works best for Otherside at Work
Stef concludes: "Our tech stack is a carefully curated mix of open source and closed source solutions. For core systems, we choose open source technologies because of the greater flexibility and lower risks of vendor lock-in. For other components, we choose the solution that best suits our needs. This pragmatic approach allows us to maintain a software infrastructure that is not only reliable and secure, but also well-prepared for future developments."
Do you have questions about our vision on open source or closed source? Or do you want to know more about how we think about our tech strategy? For example, read our vision on incremental further development versus reconstruction here. Please contact us