How IBM builds up its store of Linux knowledge

Sam Varghese
Monday, 06 April 2009 05:28

Opinion and Analysis

Wightwick says that people can bring to the discussion forums problems of their own as well as those which they face in their company work. The extent to which they can share knowledge which helps them resolve problems in their personal projects is limited by the company's guidelines for participation in external projects.

"Through the size and richness of the network that exists, you can gain knowledge which you need," Wightwick says. "There is no explicit code of conduct apart from the guidelines that govern everything we do."

The communications that take place - newsletters, forums, and recorded lectures - are only for internal consumption. Wightwick said he could not be specific about topics that were discussed.

However, the community does have an indirect external impact. "Many people who are part of the Open Source CoP actively participate in external Linux and Open Source projects. By implication, there is a flow of information in both directions," says Wightwick.

There is no evaluation of the CoP. "We don't seek to directly measure the impact of the CoP. The value of collaboration and CoPs in IBM is inherently recognised and are very much part of our technical culture," says Wightwick.

"Everyone who participates gets value from them. The CoP is also very attractive to employees. People like to be able to share information and work collaboratively. The sheer size of the IBM network means that if someone needs expertise, very quickly you can find someone with the required expertise and knowledge, eg. deep technical issues within the kernel."

While most of the intra-CoP communications are electronic, there are some face-to-face encounters. Wightwick says such meetings take place is there is sufficient critical mass to warrant them.

Does this sharing of knowledge benefit those outside IBM?

"I would argue it does have an impact on what IBM does externally. Having a strong knowledge of Linux and Open Source within IBM means that we really understand the value of the external open source community," Wightwick says.

"Community members typically are sharing knowledge, experience and often acting as conduits to help others working on various open source products."