One of the more intriguing findings from our recent research (http://www.globalgraphics.com/freesoftware) into the use of free software by large enterprises regarded support.

Product quality and the availability of support were the two biggest concerns of CIOs when considering the use of free software. Product quality is a straight-forward concern with a simple solution; 82% of CIOs subject a free software product to the same evaluation criteria as a paid-for software product.

Support is a more complex area. Asked what type of support a free software vendor should offer, the majority (41%) of CIOs suggested free product support such as patches and upgrades.

To my mind that seemed surprisingly low given that all software products need such updates, and paying for upgrades for a free product seems a little perverse (indeed, less than 10% of CIOs thought that was a good move!).

What grabbed my attention was that 22% of CIOs want paid-for technical support (1-2-1) to sit behind a free software product. It’s completely understandable, given the professionalism expected of IT within a large corporate, but I was surprised that paid-for support rated so highly for a free product. There was equal backing for free forum-led knowledge.

It just brings home how important it is that products used within a business must be reliable – even to the extent of making a free product one that brings with it a support cost.

It also shows, of course, that flexibility is key, which is exactly the approach Global Graphics has taken; free product upgrades with a choice of free or paid-for technical support.

Similarly, we somewhat assumed that large enterprises would find server-based downloads more convenient as it eases the centralised management of a free software product. Yet only 17% of CIOs wanted server-based downloads and installation; one in five preferred PC-based downloads and installation. The overwhelming majority (62%) want, you guessed it, both!

So, just as well we support both options on that too…

This week, Global Graphics published a survey of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) at public sector organizations and commercial companies that shows three quarters (76%) of large organizations currently use free software across their enterprise. And due to tight IT budgets, over half (51%) say they intend to deploy even more free software in 2010. Over half (54%) said they already use more than 10 different free software products.

Click here to view the results: http://www.globalgraphics.com/freesoftware

The survey is based on interviews with 400 CIOs from organizations with over 1000 employees across the US (300 CIOs) and the UK (100 CIOs).

The purpose of using free software is both to save on existing spend and to add new functionality. As an example of the former, 38% of the CIOs interviewed said they wanted to replace Adobe Acrobat with free software (a role gDoc Creator fulfills) while 24% are looking for a no-cost alternative to the Microsoft Office suite.

The other key driver for using free software, cited by 47% of CIOs, is to complement existing desktop applications and extend functionality to users that can’t be provided using paid-for software. Again, that’s something that gDoc Fusion (at a fraction of the cost of Adobe Acrobat) or free-to- use gDoc Creator can deliver.

Clearly enterprise IT is changing: free software is found extensively inside organizations, and new generations of employees now expect business applications to work quickly and easily.

With gDoc Creator we address both these trends. Download them here to see if we’ve succeeded!