Open Source Solutions: The Key to Future-Proofing Your Digital Estate

Organisations are increasingly feeling the strain of digital uncertainty. Stack costs are rising, and not just marginally, from new price changes by cloud providers to increasing licence fees for software vendors, it’s becoming more challenging for organisations trying to scale at budget. 

The pressure isn’t just financial. Stricter usage caps and subscription-only models are becoming increasingly common, and large-scale digital platforms are becoming less open. Vendors are evolving their business models, hiding more features behind paywalls or packaging services in ways that challenge flexibility and transparency. 

At the same time, the risk of cyber threats continues to grow, and UK data regulations are tightening. In response, visibility and control across the digital estate is essential for both security and compliance. However, as software stacks grow, staying secure and compliant becomes harder, and closed-source systems often limit visibility and control, leaving IT teams at the mercy of vendor patch cycles. 

But with uncertainty comes opportunity. This is where open source comes in, not just as a technical choice, but as a strategic approach. In this article, we delve into how open source helps cut costs, reduce risk, and support a more flexible, future-ready digital estate.
 

Open Source – A Strategic Asset, Not a Risk 

In the world of digital platforms, open source is just that - open. Software such as content management systems (CMS) or customer relationship tools (CRM), and website integrations, can be built on publicly available code. 

This freedom means organisations can create bespoke platforms depending on their unique needs. Everything can be tailored, from user experience to backend integrations, and there’s no paying extra for paywalled features or waiting on vendor release cycles. 

It also means greater control. You’re not tied to one vendor’s roadmap, so you decide how the platform evolves, how it’s hosted, and which features you prioritise. Your platform adapts as your organisation’s needs change, not the other way around. 

Open source is particularly valuable for membership and public sector organisations, where systems often need to support gated content, personalised experiences, and complex CRM integrations.  

For example, a professional body might use Drupal to manage member portals and permissions at scale, while a charity could turn to Umbraco for flexible content delivery across multilingual sites. 

The differences between open source and proprietary platforms are even more noticeable when focusing on vendor lock-in and long-term cost.  

Proprietary systems are typically tied to a single provider for hosting, licensing, updates, and support. Customisations are often restricted or come at an additional cost, and over time, this can lead to rising expenses, particularly as migrations become more complex or older products are phased out. 
 
Open source platforms offer far more freedom. Organisations can choose who they work with, where the platform is hosted, and how it's maintained, and there are no licence fees - costs are tied to development and support. This gives greater control over both your budget and your future roadmap.
 

Debunking the Myths Around Open Source 

Myth 1: Open source isn’t secure 

The open source community is large and made-up of multiple smaller active communities. Thousands of developers test and challenge new code, a lot more than in proprietary environments, and this means high coding standards. When vulnerabilities are discovered, patches are issued at speed, and fixes can be applied immediately, and patches can be customised to individual needs. The main open source platforms also have formal security teams or foundations that issue regular security bulletins. 

Thanks to open visibility, developers can inspect code, audit third-party extensions and understand how data is processed. This plays a crucial role in meeting compliance requirements, particularly for GDPR and ISO 27001. 

Many leading organisations across the public and private sectors use open source technologies while maintaining high security standards. Examples include the Government Digital Service (GDS) which has built a lot of the GOV.UK platform on open source tools. The NHS employs an open source infrastructure and has released frameworks to securely manage patient data and support digital service delivery. In the private sector, Google is actively involved with the open source community, and they contribute code whilst promoting secure and scalable open source development.
 

Myth 2: You don’t get support 

As well as the thriving open source community forums and discussion boards, there is also a growing official ecosystem of support. Maintainers & foundations (e.g. Linux Foundation and Apache), provide trusted, stable open source frameworks. They offer security patches, best practices, and support, which are vital for GDPR compliance. 

Specialist agencies, like Reading Room (ourselves), also provide tailored support contracts. We offer proactive monitoring, hands-on technical support, and strategic guidance, and we can ensure your open source platforms remain secure, scalable, and aligned with business goals. 
 
With proprietary vendors, support packages are often linked to a licence tier. Your organisation's needs may be very different, but you’re normally locked into one provider for everything. This is the case from updates and security patches through to technical help. As a result, critical fixes can be dependent on the vendor’s timeline, not yours, and such a rigid approach can cause frustration in environments where agility and control are key. 

One of the other benefits of open source is transparency. Vulnerabilities are disclosed openly and patched quickly, backed by active communities and commercial contributors, it’s not only responsive, but sustainable.
 

Myth 3: Open source is unreliable 

There are many successful, long-term open source projects. Platforms like Drupal have been in active development for over 20 years, supporting major UK sites like London.gov.uk, and the website for the Mayor of London. WordPress, which powers over 43% of the internet, is widely used across UK universities, including the University of Oxford. Umbraco underpins complex platforms such as the British Safety Council’s website. 

Behind the scenes, open source platforms are supported by strong foundations, active communities, and commercial teams that invest in ongoing development, security, and roadmap planning. Whether it’s the Drupal Association, Automattic (the company behind WordPress), or Umbraco HQ, these organisations ensure that open platforms evolve with the same consistency and care as any proprietary software.
 

Governance is Key to Unlocking Open source Value 

We know that open source means more freedom and control, and with that comes responsibility. Good governance is essential to ensuring an organisation’s platform remains secure, compliant and scalable. Structure is important, with or without a vendor.  

So, what does a good governance framework look like? 

• Clear ownership – define roles and accountabilities. Determine who in your organisation is responsible for system maintenance, compliance, platform updates, and decision-making.
• Set review cycles – plan regular reviews. Schedule monthly or quarterly audits for patching, plugin/module updates and performance checks.
• Dependency and compliance tracking – monitor components. This is essential to ensure third-party modules and libraries remain secure, up-to-date, and legally compliant. 

If your organisation has minimal open source experience or limited internal resources, agencies such as Reading Room, can help. We design, implement and manage governance models through structured support plans, and we take on key roles such as technical ownership or compliance monitoring.
 

Open Source and the Composable, API-First Future 

Platforms like Drupal and Umbraco are built with powerful APIs, so it’s easy to connect tools such as Salesforce, Algolia or Auth0. Their API-first design allows your organisation to craft a bespoke digital experience using best-in-class services without the need to re-platform as your needs evolve. This translates to real-world advantages. Scale traffic-heavy or data-rich components without a full rebuild and implement upgrades without downtime. You can also avoid vendor lock-in by switching services as your organisation’s needs evolve.
 

 Foundations for a Flexible Future 

Open source isn’t just an alternative to vendor-controlled platforms, it’s a strategic opportunity. With the right governance and long-term vision, it allows organisations to take control of their digital estate, reduce risk, and build resilience for the future. 

With digital complexity and costs on the rise, now is the time to explore how open source can deliver a more flexible, sustainable solution. If you’d like a digital estate review or a tailored consultation on open source readiness, we’re here to help. Reading Room can work with you to assess your options and plan a path forward, entirely on your terms.