Hybrid Business Models in Software Product Industry: Patterns and Challenges

Operating in software product industry is becoming an increasingly risky proposition. Compressed timeline for product development combined with need to reduce cost has compelled organizations to look at new ways of doing business. One such avenue is combining the erstwhile conflicting practices of open source and closed source software. This industry paper highlights common patterns and challenges encountered in operationalizing such business models. The findings are based on a larger multiple case study research involving six such software products.