Hello
I have been trying to push for FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) adoption in my workplace; but I keep running into significant resistance from management and IT teams. 
While many FOSS tools are objectively better & more cost-effective than proprietary alternatives, the biggest concerns I hear are security risks; lack of dedicated support, and compatibility issues with existing workflows. 
Even when I provide well-documented case studies & success stories, there’s a general reluctance to move away from licensed software.
One major challenge is vendor lock-in our organization relies heavily on proprietary tools with deep integrations; making migration difficult.
Another issue is user training and familiarity; employees are hesitant to switch because they feel FOSS alternatives will require more effort to learn. Even in cases where FOSS is already being used (like Linux-based servers), management still insists on paid enterprise solutions for desktop environments and productivity tools. Checked Discussion - FOSS United selenium guide for reference .
I’d love to hear from others who have faced similar hurdles. How did you successfully advocate for FOSS adoption in your company? What strategies worked in convincing decision-makers?
Thank you !! 
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Hey @Chlnldoe,
We could use LLMs to solve this problem. Try making a vector DB of all the issues that come up while using the software and the documentation (more the merrier). Demo the LLM to people in influence and emphasize how the organization benefits by using FOSS (for instance, reduced costs, ability to modify software as per convenience, etc). User training can be solved with a combination of the LLM we trained earlier along with a couple of videos.
You’ll have to work hard to promote this in your organization (speaking from personal experience). I think it should take between 3 and 6 months for you to see any results.
FOSS Adoption in a corporate place is hard. We tried at FOSS United (when I was an employee) and it seems like it (or I) failed.
You need to break the house and put new solid bricks. Now, here you refer your seniors/managers as the “bricks” or the software, both of them might be needed to create an impact. Whatever organization you work in there is going to be said or unsaid hierarchy which needs to break as well.
Zerodha and Frappe are good examples. Their initial bricks (Kailash, Rushabh or Closed Source Software) were solid. And there are many other exceptional companies who break the norm. You also need to agree that most of the times open source software sucks for beginner or non tech users.
And in general, not everyone can embrace Uncomfortability.
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