Strategic Playbook

A curated intelligence guide for navigating the Open Source landscape.

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License Intelligence

MIT License

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐ŸŸข LOW (Permissive) Executive Summary: What is it? The MIT License is the most permissive and popular open-source license. It allows you to use,

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Apache License 2.0

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐ŸŸข LOW (Permissive) Executive Summary: What is it? The Apache 2.0 is a modern permissive license favored by large enterprises (Google, Android, Kubernetes)

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Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0)

โš–๏ธ The Executive Summary The Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0) is the "middle ground" of open source licenses. It is a weak

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Open Software License 3.0 (OSL-3.0)

โš–๏ธ The Executive Summary The Open Software License 3.0 (OSL-3.0) is a strong copyleft license, often compared to the AGPL but with distinct legal

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GNU GPL v3

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐ŸŸ  HIGH (For Distribution) Executive Summary: What is it? The GPL v3 is a "Copyleft" license. It guarantees freedom for the end-user,

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GNU AGPL v3

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿ”ด CRITICAL (For SaaS) Executive Summary: What is it? The Affero GPL (AGPL) is designed to close the "SaaS Loophole." Unlike standard

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SSPL (Server Side Public License)

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿ”’ VENDOR LOCK-IN Executive Summary: What is it? The Server Side Public License (SSPL) is not an official Open Source license. Created by MongoDB,

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Custom License

Custom Licenses While the Open Source Initiative (OSI) maintains a list of approved licenses (like MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL), some projects employ Custom or

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Deployment Models

Browser-Based / Local-First

๐Ÿ—๏ธ COMPLEXITY BADGE: โšก ZERO (Instant) Executive Summary: What is it? Browser-Based (Local-First) solutions run entirely inside your web browser. There is no server installation, no login,

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Managed SaaS

๐Ÿ—๏ธ COMPLEXITY BADGE: โ˜๏ธ OUTSOURCED Executive Summary: What is it? Managed SaaS means the Open Source creator hosts the software for you. You pay a monthly subscription

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Desktop Application

๐Ÿ—๏ธ The Model: Local Native Desktop Applications are installed directly on the user's operating system. In the context of Open Source, this often means

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Docker Container

๐Ÿ—๏ธ COMPLEXITY BADGE: โœ… LOW (Standard) Executive Summary: What is it? Docker Deployment is the industry standard for self-hosting software. The application comes pre-packaged in a "

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Kubernetes (K8s)

๐Ÿ—๏ธ COMPLEXITY BADGE: ๐Ÿ—๏ธ HIGH (Enterprise) Executive Summary: What is it? Kubernetes is an orchestration system designed for high availability and massive scale. It manages multiple containers

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Security Standards

Single Sign-On (SSO) & SAML

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿ”ด CRITICAL (>20 Users) Executive Summary: What is it? Single Sign-On (SSO) allows your employees to log in using their existing company credentials

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Data Residency (GDPR/CCPA)

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ COMPLIANCE Executive Summary: What is it? Data Residency refers to the physical geographic location where your data is stored. Laws like GDPR (Europe)

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Backup Strategy (3-2-1 Rule)

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿš‘ DISASTER RECOVERY Executive Summary: What is it? A Backup Strategy is the protocol for copying and archiving data so it can be restored

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Support Tiers

Community Support

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐ŸŽฒ UNPREDICTABLE Executive Summary: What is it? Community Support means there is no help desk to call. Support is provided by volunteers or other

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Enterprise Support (SLA)

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿ’ผ INSURANCE Executive Summary: What is it? Enterprise Support is a paid contract (SLA - Service Level Agreement) that guarantees a response time. It

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Project Governance

Vendor-Backed (Single Vendor)

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿ’ผ MODERATE RISK Executive Summary: What is it? The project is open source, but the copyright and roadmap are controlled 100% by a single

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Foundation-Backed (CNCF / Apache)

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿ›๏ธ HIGH STABILITY Executive Summary: What is it? This software is owned by a neutral non-profit organization (like The Linux Foundation, CNCF, or Apache)

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The \"Bus Factor\" (Project Health)

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿ“Š SUSTAINABILITY METRIC Executive Summary: What is it? The "Bus Factor" is a risk metric that asks: "If the lead maintainer

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Open Core Model

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿข BUSINESS MODEL Executive Summary: What is it? "Open Core" is a business model where the core functionality of the software is

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Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿ’ฐ FINANCIAL REALITY Executive Summary: What is it? Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is the calculation of the real cost of software, not just

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Data Portability (Exit Strategy)

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ RISK BADGE: ๐Ÿ”“ FREEDOM METRIC Executive Summary: What is it? Data Portability refers to the ability to easily export your data from a system in a

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