Proprietary software providers who keep their product codes under lock and key have long shackled channel partners and systems integrators. Without access to source codes, they are unable to customize and localize products to suit specific geographic needs.

Now the open source community is turning these traditional relationships upside down, enabling local partners to adapt products to unique markets and to play more strategic roles for their customers and partners.

Ranga Rangachari, CEO of GroundWork Open Source, Inc, predicted that 2006 would be all about the channel. Indeed, channels are already opening up exciting new opportunities for developers, entrepreneurs, and end-users in competitive markets around the world.

In this talk, Rangachari will cover:

• The role of channels and integrators in the emerging open source ecosystem;
• Opportunities for Europe's developers, entrepreneurs, and end-users;
• How channel strategy is different in the open source market;
• What an aggressive distribution strategy should look like;
• The potential pitfalls to avoid when building a channel program.