Carahsoft To Distribute Compliance Management Software

compliance software (No. 399 on the 2006 VARBusiness 500)

Black Duck's compliance management software is aimed at helping companies govern how software assets are created and managed. According to the company, the offerings help businesses take maximum advantage of open-source software.

Under the agreement, Carahsoft will distribute Black Duck's protexIP platform, through which government entities can analyze open-source and third-party software licensing, understand code origins and abide by enterprise policy regulating the use of code components. Black Duck's exportIP will also be available to help meet federal guidelines on the exportation of encryption algorithms within software. Black Duck's products will be available on the GSA Schedule through Carahsoft.

Federal, state and local governments regularly use open-source software to increase productivity and boost collaboration among agencies, according to Craig Abod, president of Carahsoft. However, as that occurs, the various government organizations must comply with various open source licenses, which often conflict.

"Software development these days has changed in a fundamental way with the dramatic rise in use of open source," says Abod.

He notes that projects are generally combinations of various intellectual property components, and that has increased the need to clearly understand licensing obligations. Further, it has become more crucial to measure, manage and govern the appropriate use of open-source and other third-party software.

"We've partnered with Black Duck because they are the industry-leading solution for managing software compliance, use governance and code validation and verification," notes Abod. "Their solution is a strong fit with our other open-source offerings for the government, as well as system integrators and contractors who are developing software for government customers."