RALEIGH – Open source innovation is driving most of the global world, Paul Cormier, president and CEO of Red Hat, said in a speech delivered for the Red Hat Summit this week, at which the company released other news and updates, including partnerships.

Cormier also argued that the meaning of “new normal” is never predetermined, and that it is individuals and companies that choose what constitutes normal, and when to refresh perspective or make changes.

In the speech, which was also summarized in a blog post published on the Red Hat website, Cormier said that while the prior two years often were framed as something we’re “going through” they could also be looked at as “what we have and are accomplishing.”

For example: nearly every industry went to 100% remote work, almost overnight.  And organizations learned to operate this way.

Tech hubs emerged, in what Cormier noted were “unlikely places,” as a result.

And now, “organizations focused on hiring new talent based on skill and not location.”

All of this is “not insignificant,” said Cormier, but for those already working in open source, “it was just another day.”

Open source

The accomplishments made and lessons learned through the first two years of the global COVID-19 pandemic, said Cormier, “brought us closer to the open source model, and this is why open source innovation is now driving much of the software world.”

And what’s going to get us to a “new normal” is driving innovation to keep pace with changing demands, he argued.  For Cormier, that way is through increased adoption of open source developed technology.

“Open source developed code is the foundation of the innovation that is driving the future of IT, not open core or proprietary software,” said Cormier.  “The only way to create and adapt to these innovations is through open source developed technology.”

“The new normal for IT starts with open source,” Cormier concluded.

Red Hat released a report on the state of enterprise open source earlier this year.

IBM living up to promises

Following the acquisition of Red Hat by IBM in a $34 billion deal in 2019, IBM has delivered on its promises, Cormier said in a briefing earlier today.

The news was first reported by ComputerWeekly.com TechTarget reporter Aaron Tan earlier this morning.

According to Tan’s report, Cormier said that while IBM may be biased and opinionated on Red Hat, that bias ought not to go the other way.

“That neutrality is really important to us because one of the things that makes Red Hat so successful is our partners in our ecosystem,” Cormier is quoted as stating on the briefing.  “Working across that partner ecosystem is really important, including with IBM.”

Tan’s article is here.

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