Briefing notes on the benefits of Free Software?

[Peter Lewis]

Hi there,

I work with a voluntary sector organisation in the UK, who are currently doing a review of their IT strategy and systems, and I asked recently if they were considering Free / Open Source solutions, as their previous systems are all based on Microsoft software (desktops, web servers, email, everything). After a short chat about what Free Software meant and how it's different from proprietary software, they had lots of questions, including "can this really save us money?", "will it give us more control?", "is it reliable?", "how secure is it?" etc.

As a result, I've been asked to send them some information on Free / Open Source Software which will help to inform them in making decisions about their new strategy and procurement. So, can anyone recommend a good briefing note or two which would be suitable? Ideally it would be aimed at voluntary / public sector organisations in the UK and accessible by general management (not IT specialists), though other good materials would also be useful.

Thanks in advance,

Pete.