A business case for open source: From lock-in to value.pdf

By: Mikko Lampi, CEO, Metatavu Oy.

1. A business case for open source:
From lock-in to value
A business case for open source:
From lock-in to value
Mikko lampi
CEO, Metatavu | Chairperson, COSS

2. Open source has already won the
technology battle.
Now it needs to win the business
narrative.
In the era of AI and platform monopolies,
how we co-create and share value matters more than ever.

3. The problem

4. A perception gap
How we talk about
open source
code
community
freedom
licenses
compliance
repositories
technology
What our customers
might hear
cost savings
responsibility
risks
lack of support
uncertainty
need for development
Let’s talk about open source as strategists, not as developers and technologists.
We need a business narrative to fix why open source is still misunderstood in business.

5. Lock-in is not
only a technical concern
?????? Vendor / license
?????? Technological & ecosystem
?????? Decision & governance
?????? Innovation
?????? Mindset
Lock-in limits freedom — and with it, value creation.
In a world of unique challenges, we can’t solve tomorrow’s problems
with yesterday’s fixed tools and solutions.
Open source gives us the freedom to build unique, evolving solutions,
and that’s where competitive advantage is co-created.

6. The business case:
From lock-in to value

7. Why and how open source
creates business value
Open source turns dependencies into partnership and lock-ins to opportunities
Strategic freedom
Choose dreams and partners, not owners and someone else’s
roadmap. Ambidextrous organizations need strategic agility.
Co-created innovation
Value grows through collaboration, open innovation, and
participation. Learn from the crowd instead of single company.
Cost transparency
Pay for impact and what you need, not permission and what others
need. Adaptive investments, not fixed costs.

8. Open source is value-efficient
Uniqueness is competitive advantage — not a risk.
In closed software, you buy predictability. In open source, you buy adaptability.
Cost-efficiency is short-term. Value-efficiency is sustainable.
Value consumer Value co-creator
1 Reuse, transparency, and control = better ROI over time.
2
3
Continuous improvement through communities and partners.

9. The Metatavu model

10. We believe software business should be fair
Fairness isn’t idealism — it’s good business where everyone wins.
There’s no “fake it until you make it” in fair business.
Openness
Ensure and foster transparency, trust, sharing, and value
co-creation, but be aware of value co-destruction.
Happiness
Customers and employees matter. Do business that feels
good and right. Feeling is stronger than reason.
Future-proof
Sustainable, adaptable, ambidextrous. Create opportunities,
don’t limit them. Minimize hassle and frustration.

11. From Products to Services
We don’t sell software. We sell value and partnership. 1 2 3
We use open technologies as our foundation
Trustworthy and proven building blocks. Established and well-known brands.
Ensure external freedom and strategic agility.
We tailor every solution to fit the customer’s business and users
Design unique user experiences and processes, optimal business fit, and
avoid the one-size-fits-all product approach. We get best of the both worlds.
We co-create continuously
As partners without lock-ins or power asymmetry. That’s how value
compounds like interest. We have the incentive to work together.

13. We believe sustainable competitive
advantage is created by doing things your
own way, not like everyone else does.
We use open innovation to
co-create with the customers,
users and community.
Furthermore, we use open
source to focus on what
matters and build on top of
the best technologies.
We design and build digital
services and provide them as
a service.
They happen to be very
value-effective and make
users happy.

14. Agile software
development
We are more than
just another
software company.
Managed services
Service design and
user experience
Digital business
development
digital strategy | change management | agile experiments |
service design | web and mobile development | integrations |
interoperability | user interface design | user experience design |
accessibility | eCommerce | embedded software | industrial
internet | IoT | intelligent technologies | data protection |
corporate digital responsibility | production management | ERP |
warehouse management | logistics management | content
management | identity and access management

15. The most interesting IT partner
Metatavu has been awarded as one the most interesting technology
partner at the Solver X event several times in Helsinki and Stockholm.
We have also been awarded a Great Place to Work certificate.
Open source is good for our business 84 NPS
In the software industry, the average NPS,
which measures customer satisfaction, is 44.
TOUKO 2022-2023
SUOMI
There are 21 of us. Our turnover for this year is expected to be over 1.7 million euros.
We believe in fair, open and sustainable business together with our customers.

16. The future

17. Europe’s open advantage
Our strength isn’t in scale or capital — it’s in collaboration and diversity.
Openness is Europe’s competitive strategy, not only a value or ideal.
We can’t outspend the tech giants — but we can outcollaborate them.
Open ecosystems builds resilience and shared innovation.
Every euro invested in openness stays in our economy.
We need to consider our approach to AI and dependencies on technologies
with different ideas and philosophies.
We have witnessed increasing demand on European software and technologies.

18. Mikko Lampi
CEO, Metatavu
[email protected]
[phone]
The real business case for open source isn’t
about cost or code –
it’s about how we co-create, capture,
and share value
From lock-in to value