Preliminary Study on Open Source Software Implementation in the Malaysian Public Sector

Abstract

This paper is a preliminary study on Open Source Software (OSS) implementation in the Malaysian Public Sector. The objective of the study is to explore the state of OSS implementation among government agencies since the launch of the Malaysian Public Sector OSS Master Plan by the Government of Malaysia on July 16, 2004. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews using open-ended questions were conducted in April 2015 with ICT managers/ICT officers among the selected six government agencies in the Northern Region of Peninsular Malaysia. This study aims at investigating the usage of OSS and proprietary software, the level of OSS utilisation, the level of OSS knowledge and training of ICT and non-ICT staff, software development and acquisition model, internal OSS manpower capabilities and skills, user's perception on the advantages of OSS, user's perception on the risks of OSS, and the problems or barriers in OSS implementation. The results of interviews show that there are many problems or barriers in OSS implementation e.g. lack of internal OSS expertise, lack of OSS policy, and lack of top management support.