The recent success of open source software has changed the way web design companies as well as businesses apply and use technology. The recent years have witnessed the success of many open source software across different areas. Content management systems such as Joomla have revolutionised the way companies develop and maintain their websites. Companies small or large are able to use open source technology to develop powerful websites. This would have been impossible for smaller companies a few years ago due to high costs involved in developing the software.

Open source software can be modified and extended to suit specific requirements. Core software offers a set of built in features which a web design company or software developer can easily extend to meet specific requirements of clients.

Open source software provides businesses with an ideal opportunity to utilise powerful business applications at a fraction of the cost involved in developing an entire application from scratch. Most leading web design companies today specialise in the use of popular open source software. Some software such as Joomla , Oscommerce and WordPress have strong global developer communities and have become established standards within the IT industry.

Open source software provides many distinct benefits over standard off the shelf packages. Unlike off the shelf packages, open source software are released under an open license and the source code is available to extend and modify as required. Although most common features are addressed in the core software; in order to maximise the benefits, the software can be tweaked or enhanced to meet specific business needs. Some open source software such as Joomla provide a framework for development of powerful web based applications and can be used successfully to develop bespoke applications to suit almost any requirement.