Commercial off-the-shelf: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
'''Commercial, off-the-shelf''' ('''COTS''') is a term for [[Computer software|software]] or [[hardware]], generally technology or computer products, that are ready-made and available for sale, lease, or license to the general public. They are often used as alternatives to in-house developments or one-off [[Government off-the-shelf|government-funded developments]]. The use of COTS is being mandated across many government and business programs, as they may offer significant savings in procurement and maintenance. However, since COTS software specifications are written by external sources, government agencies are sometimes wary of these products because they fear that future changes to the product will not be under their control. |
'''Commercial, off-the-shelf''' ('''COTS''') is a term for [[Computer software|software]] or [[hardware]], generally technology or computer products, that are ready-made and available for sale, lease, or license to the general public. They are often used as alternatives to in-house developments or one-off [[Government off-the-shelf|government-funded developments]]. The use of COTS is being mandated across many government and business programs, as they may offer significant savings in procurement and maintenance. However, since COTS software specifications are written by external sources, government agencies are sometimes wary of these products because they fear that future changes to the product will not be under their control. |
||
COTS and COTS-based purchasing by the U.S. Department of Defense has been identified as a way to reduce the cost and risk associated with procurement of advanced systems. A number of prominent programs—the [[VH-71 Kestrel]] Presidential Helicopter, the [[P-8 Poseidon]] maritime surveillance aircraft, the [[Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter]] (ARH), [[Littoral combat ship]] (LCS), the [[UH-72 Lakota]] Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and the experimental FSF-1 [[Sea Fighter]]—have been developed from commercial roots with varying success. A February 2009 [[Defense Science Board]] (DSB) report examines a number of these cases in great detail.<ref>[http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/reports/2009-02-ICS.pdf “Defense Science Board Task Force on Integrating Commercial Systems into the DOD, Effectively and Efficiently - Buying Commercial: Gaining the Cost/Schedule Benefits for Defense Systems”]</ref> A follow-up case study |
COTS and COTS-based purchasing by the U.S. Department of Defense has been identified as a way to reduce the cost and risk associated with procurement of advanced systems. A number of prominent programs—the [[VH-71 Kestrel]] Presidential Helicopter, the [[P-8 Poseidon]] maritime surveillance aircraft, the [[Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter]] (ARH), [[Littoral combat ship]] (LCS), the [[UH-72 Lakota]] Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and the experimental FSF-1 [[Sea Fighter]]—have been developed from commercial roots with varying success. A February 2009 [[Defense Science Board]] (DSB) report examines a number of these cases in great detail.<ref>[http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/reports/2009-02-ICS.pdf “Defense Science Board Task Force on Integrating Commercial Systems into the DOD, Effectively and Efficiently - Buying Commercial: Gaining the Cost/Schedule Benefits for Defense Systems”]</ref> A follow-up case study from the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group at the [[Center for Strategic and International Studies]] examines the LUH.<ref name="csis">[http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_pubs/task,view/id,5336/ "DIIG Current Issues No.7: Case Study: The Drivers of a Successful COTS Acquisition"]</ref> |
||
Note that most existing [[open source software]] is COTS, as it is licensed to the public. Some claim that fact invalidates the loss-of-control argument since the source code is available. The other school of thought insists on a broader meaning of the loss-of-control argument, equating it with loss-of-functional-control where control is not defined as "access to code", but as not having a "realistic ability to manipulate the code". |
Note that most existing [[open source software]] is COTS, as it is licensed to the public. Some claim that fact invalidates the loss-of-control argument since the source code is available. The other school of thought insists on a broader meaning of the loss-of-control argument, equating it with loss-of-functional-control where control is not defined as "access to code", but as not having a "realistic ability to manipulate the code". |
||
Revision as of 14:29, 25 March 2009
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (July 2008) |
Commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) is a term for software or hardware, generally technology or computer products, that are ready-made and available for sale, lease, or license to the general public. They are often used as alternatives to in-house developments or one-off government-funded developments. The use of COTS is being mandated across many government and business programs, as they may offer significant savings in procurement and maintenance. However, since COTS software specifications are written by external sources, government agencies are sometimes wary of these products because they fear that future changes to the product will not be under their control.
COTS and COTS-based purchasing by the U.S. Department of Defense has been identified as a way to reduce the cost and risk associated with procurement of advanced systems. A number of prominent programs—the VH-71 Kestrel Presidential Helicopter, the P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH), Littoral combat ship (LCS), the UH-72 Lakota Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and the experimental FSF-1 Sea Fighter—have been developed from commercial roots with varying success. A February 2009 Defense Science Board (DSB) report examines a number of these cases in great detail.[1] A follow-up case study from the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group at the Center for Strategic and International Studies examines the LUH.[2]
Note that most existing open source software is COTS, as it is licensed to the public. Some claim that fact invalidates the loss-of-control argument since the source code is available. The other school of thought insists on a broader meaning of the loss-of-control argument, equating it with loss-of-functional-control where control is not defined as "access to code", but as not having a "realistic ability to manipulate the code".
Motivations for using COTS components include reduction of overall system development and costs (as components can be bought or licensed instead of being developed from scratch) and reduced maintenance costs. In software development, many considered COTS to be the silver bullet during the 1990s, but COTS development came with many not-so-obvious tradeoffs—overall cost and development time can definitely be reduced, but often at the expense of an increase in software component integration work and a dependency on a third-party component vendor.[3]
Several groups have been formed to encourage the development of COTS systems for various purposes and promote their adoption. The Mountain View Alliance was one such group but now appears defunct.
See also
References
- ^ “Defense Science Board Task Force on Integrating Commercial Systems into the DOD, Effectively and Efficiently - Buying Commercial: Gaining the Cost/Schedule Benefits for Defense Systems”
- ^ "DIIG Current Issues No.7: Case Study: The Drivers of a Successful COTS Acquisition"
- ^ McKinney, Dorothy "Impact of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Software and Technology on Systems Engineering", Presentation to INCOSE Chapters, August 2001. Accessed January 28, 2009.