|
OS in the driver's seat |
| Organisation name: | Namibian Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVAFNAM) |
| OSS Used: | Suse Pro 9.1 Linux servers; Postgresql 7.4 database; JBOSS Java middleware; Zinf engine. |
| Reasons for using OSS | Cost; avoid vendor lock-in; open systems. |
| Benefits of using open source software | Rapid development; avoid ongoing licence fees. |
| Challenges of using open source software | Lack of understanding of open source concepts; lack of local high-level support. |
| Does using FOSS benefit your organisation? |
Although a sophisticated, all-encompassing, paperless case management system is envisaged, only the initial pilot phase of the system is currently in place. So far the system is working well. |
| |
| Organisation |
The Namibian Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVAFNAM) had struggled through several phases of chaotic technological development, which left its databases and case management and workflow systems crippled, hopelessly inefficient and inaccurate.
Aside from inefficiencies in serving the public, these systems left much room for corruption amongst staff and unscrupulous lawyers, which further undermined the integrity of the system and depleted national funds.
Legal firm and open source advocates, FutureLaw, was contracted for the first phase of the project. They subcontracted open source programmers and integration specialists, Sadalbari, to develop a scalable solution which would be implemented in several phases. |
| Why does the organisation use FOSS? |
Although the client did not specify an open source solution, the complexity of workflows and the integration requirements would have proven much more expensive using proprietary software from companies such as IBM, Oracle and BEA.
Since MVAFNAM had not used a formal tender process for the first phase of the project, it is important that the solution provided was transparent and non-proprietary, which avoids lock-in with software vendors. Using an open source solution allows MVAFNAM to contract any future developers to extend its systems.
Although a sophisticated, all-encompassing, paperless case management system is envisaged, only the initial pilot phase of the system is currently in place. |
| The benefits and challenges of using FOSS |
The equivalent licence fees for using proprietary software would have been exorbitant, and would have been an ongoing expense, whereas Zinf system development is seen as a once-off cost with no licensing fees.
Development of the Zinf engine was accelerated by the availability of code blocks made freely available by open source programmers.
Being built on an open platform, in full compliance with open software interface standards, means that the solution will interconnect with all and any future software, whether open source or proprietary.
FutureLaw and Sadalbari have released the Zinf engine back into the open source community, and all updates and improvements developed for MVAFNAM are delivered back to the community.
However, the concept of sharing intellectual property and the intricacies of the GPL licence, which governs most open source software, is still a difficult concept for MVAFNAM to grasp.
Currently MVAFNAM doesn't own the Zinf engine, just the customisation of the configuration which is deployed at their site. This includes specific interfaces, security features and workflows.
Deon Botha, IT specialist at FutureLaw, acknowledges that at times it has been a "hard sell", especially in the face of negative propaganda and fear mongering sown by proprietary software vendors.
Another problem has been the fragmented support for open source software in Namibia. Linux is known and supported, but not JBOSS and Postgresql. This has created the opportunity for Sadalbari to implement more advanced open source training in Namibia. |
| Conclusions |
Having delivered a limited case management system in the pilot phase, FutureLaw's consortium, including Sadalbari, are confident about tendering for the remaining phases of the project. This includes a fully electronic system of data capture and processing with a minimum of human intervention to minimise the potential for fraud.
On completion the Zinf open source engine will deliver an almost paperless office environment mapped onto complex business processes, with a full audit trail.
CONTACTS:
Deon Botha, FutureLAW, deon@futurelaw.co.za
Lisa Retief, Sadalbari (Zinf), lisa.retief@sadalbari.com
|
|
