Expert Opinion: How to Build a 100% Open-Source IaaS and PaaS Offering

In IT infrastructure, companies that rely on proprietary solutions expose themselves to unforeseen cost increases. The recent example tied to Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware provides a clear illustration: faced with a sharp price spike, many customers expressed their dissatisfaction, some even pursuing legal action. Regaining control of one’s infrastructure thus becomes a strategic challenge, and betting on Open Source appears as a credible alternative.

However, building an entirely Open Source IaaS/PaaS offering requires solid foundations, enhanced security, and automation mechanisms to streamline and accelerate application deployments. The payoff is worth it: in the long run, such an infrastructure can combine innovation, sovereignty, and longevity.

A Complete Open Source Stack

In an end-to-end Open Source IaaS/PaaS offering, every component must be based on proven solutions. The good news is that they exist: from a firewall (e.g., OPNsense) to network interconnection, through virtual machine management (e.g., OpenStack), containers (e.g., Kubernetes) and data storage (e.g., Ceph). Ultimately only the hardware layer and the BIOS remain vendor-dependent. On the infrastructure side, it quickly becomes evident that Open Source solutions bring more innovation and possibilities than the proprietary world.

Agility is also a key factor to ensure the longevity of an Open Source-based infrastructure. Each software building block must be interchangeable to anticipate technological evolutions or to mitigate the potential stoppage of certain projects. Yet, in this regard, the number of available solutions is substantial. This modular approach offers long-term flexibility and durable adaptability.

To secure access to such an infrastructure, implementing SSL or TLS protocols, a distributed architecture, and the use of Open Source VPN tunnels are standard practice, whether to encrypt communications or manage authentication. For optimal security, it is prudent to aim for compliance with standards (PCI-DSS, HDS, DORA) and to follow the guidelines of ANSSI, particularly the SecNumCloud framework. While these measures are demanding, they ensure the security of the infrastructure.

Industrializing an Open Source Hosting Solution

A robust infrastructure is only the starting point for building an Open Source IaaS/PaaS offering. Indeed, Open Source is often perceived as complex to deploy and use, at least requiring very specialized skills. Scaling up involves automating the administration of resources to simplify service management. Open Source infrastructure-as-code tools, such as Terraform, automate resource management (VMs, networks, databases). They reduce human errors, making deployments and provisioning faster. Other solutions like OKD facilitate orchestration of application containers and provisioning of continuous development environments (CI/CD, DevOps).

A complete Open Source hosting offering must also be able to adapt to fluctuations in business needs. Auto-scaling, which automatically adjusts resources based on demand, thus perfectly meets this requirement. The infrastructure delivers optimal performance even during peak activity.

To maximize user adoption, high-quality support remains essential, tailored to profiles: hosting applications, developers, SaaS providers… Training, detailed documentation, user-friendly web interfaces, API access, and administration tools are all levers to democratize Open Source cloud infrastructures. Users fully harness the potential of these solutions thanks to these tools that lower entry barriers.

Seeing Open Source as a Strategic Lever

Today, Open Source stands out as a driver of innovation and a strategic lever. It gives companies the means to access cutting-edge technologies without being hindered by the R&D and economic cycles of a proprietary vendor. Thanks to active communities, businesses or Open Source cloud service providers benefit from rapid access to the latest advances, proven through extensive testing across a wide range of contexts.

Open Source also plays a key role in sustainable digital transformation. Infrastructures based on open technologies optimize resources, whether hardware or energy-related, and extend the lifespan of equipment thanks to stronger compatibility.

* Thibaut Demaret is CTO at Worteks