Consultancy launches mobile open source practice

By Eric Brown
2009-08-21

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The Olliance Group has announced a new "Mobile Open Source Practice," and has hired embedded Linux veteran and LinuxPundit analyst and consultant William "Bill" Weinberg to run it. Weinberg has been named senior executive and practice manager of the open source consultancy's new mobile practice.

The Mobile Open Source Practice encompasses open source platforms, applications, and services related to mobile phones and emerging mobile/wireless devices such as netbooks and webpads, says Olliance. The new practice aims to help companies "navigate the complexities of open source partnering and community development," says the company.

Specific services are said to include strategy, business models, marketing, licensing, compliance, technology evaluation, software architecture, community development, and partnering. Targeted customers include technology providers, device manufacturers, carriers/operators, software vendors, and industry groups.

Bill Weinberg (pictured) brings two decades of open source, mobile and embedded technology experience to Olliance, says the company. A founding team member of MontaVista Software, Weinberg has held a number of roles in open source organizations including GM of the Linux Phone Standards Forum (LIPS), which was folded into the LiMo Foundation last year. While senior analyst at Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), he launched its Mobile Linux Initiative and ran the Carrier Grade Linux working group.

Despite his new practice manager position at Olliance, Bill Weinberg will continue as a principal of LinuxPundit says a spokesperson for the latter, a technology consultancy and blog site. LinuxPundit's close relationship with embedded Linux development firm Embedded Alley has been terminated since the latter was acquired by Mentor Graphics last month, says LinuxPundit.

Olliance Group background

For the last eight years, the Palo Alto, Calif. based Olliance Group has established itself as a leading open source business and strategy consulting firm. (For a blast from the past, check out this 2003 Olliance white paper that appeared in LinuxDevices.)

The Olliance Group boasts tight relationships with Silicon Valley venture capitalists, and counts among its clients Fortune 500 enterprises, independent software vendors, start-up firms, investors, and government entities. Core competencies are said to include open source strategy development, community building, sales and marketing strategies, IP management and compliance, and mergers and acquisitions.

Stated Andrew Aitken, founder and managing partner of the Olliance Group, "Mobile computing is the next frontier for open source. The complexity of the mobile/wireless ecosystem presents both challenges and opportunities for using and monetizing open source software. Bill’s deep industry background and domain expertise will help Olliance Group clients realize the greatest benefit from open source software in the mobile/wireless marketplace."

More information on the Olliance Group may be found here.

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