Big data, small team: Why open source success depends on more than adoption

Perforce's 2025 State of Open Source Report highlights skill gaps, audit risks, and the growing pressure to scale AI infrastructure.

Open source is powering everything from cloud platforms to AI pipelines—but many organizations still struggle to manage the complexity that comes with scale. According to Perforce’s 2025 State of Open Source Report, nearly half of organizations handling big data report low confidence in managing it effectively.

This year’s report, produced in partnership with the Eclipse Foundation and the Open Source Initiative (OSI), shows that tools like PostgreSQL, Hadoop, and Kafka are in widespread use, but few teams feel fully equipped to manage them. Over 75% cited lack of skills or experience as their biggest blocker. The result? Slower adoption, support bottlenecks, and in some cases, serious audit risks.

EOL software and scaling problems

The report also highlights the risks of running on outdated infrastructure. Despite CentOS Linux being EOL, 40% of large enterprises still use it in production. Teams relying on these tools are nearly three times more likely to fail a compliance audit—yet many stick with them due to resource constraints.

Meanwhile, cost savings remain the top reason for adopting open source, jumping from 37% to 53% year over year. But it’s not a free ride. More than half of organizations cite lack of staff, skills, or support as major hurdles. Training, contractors, and vendor partnerships are the most common ways teams try to close the gap.

Who’s actually contributing?

Interestingly, it’s not always the largest companies leading the charge. While enterprises tend to formalize their open source strategy with OSPOs and SBOMs, it’s the smallest organizations—those with 20 or fewer employees—that contribute the most back to the community. They’re shipping code, supporting foundations, and helping move projects forward, often without the resources of their larger counterparts.

Read more: What is a software build of materials?

Key takeaways

• Open source is thriving—but confidence in big data management is shaky.
• EOL tools still run in production, increasing compliance and security risks.
• Skills shortages are the #1 blocker to growth—and training is the most common solution.
• Smaller teams are making meaningful contributions to the open source ecosystem.

Want more insights?

Download the full report or join the April 30th webinar featuring Perforce, OSI, and the Eclipse Foundation.

More from We Love Open Source

• Why your organization needs an Open Source Program Office
• 10 open source tools you can start using today
• What is a software build of materials?
• Why AI won’t replace developers
• What is OpenTelemetry?