ESBs are helping some enterprises integrate cloud-based applications and manage application programming interfaces.

The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit that manages much of the day-to-day business behind the open source operating system, maintains a small office in San Francisco. Stop by, however, and you probably won't find anyone there. That's because the organization's 30-something employees work virtually. It's like the anti-Yahoo: Just about everyone, including Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds, works from home.

Ten years ago, Red Hat went "all in" on the enterprise. While the open-source software vendor had been selling distributions and support for Linux since 1993, it wasn't until 2003 that Red Hat completely dedicated its brand to the enterprise. While the move made Red Hat some enemies, it has also proved profitable, allowing the company to commit fully to open source without also committing itself to poverty.  In his opening Red Hat Summit keynote, Red Hat Executive VP Paul Cormier suggested that "Today’s problems can’t be solved by one company," requiring open-source communities to tackle thorny infrastructure problems. In a ReadWrite interview this week at the event, however, Cormier made it clear that Red Hat definitely doesn't see itself as a passive bystander to this open development.

Like any other FOSS project OpenStack too needs a lot of volunteers in many domains apart from developing the software...