JBoss puts focus on government

Open-source Java seller JBoss has created an internal group dedicated to government clients and made Drew Ladner, former CIO of the U.S Treasury Department, the division's general manager.

JBoss said Tuesday that government customers represent one in 10 downloads of the company's Java server software suite. "Government agencies and programs have long been recognized as pioneers in implementing open-source software because it's extremely cost-effective over the entire application lifecycle when compared to proprietary products," JBoss CEO Marc Fleury said in a statement. The company intends to announce more public sector customers in the coming months. Current JBoss government customers in the United States include the Defense Department, State Department, NASA and a number of state governments.