Abstract
The open source paradigm is giving rise to new methodologies, competences and processes that need to be investigated both from the technical and the organizational point of view. Many organizations are investigating the possibility to adopt open source software or migrate their systems to open frameworks also in critical environments. In this paper, we shows how the assurance has been elevated as a primary design requirement for organizations wishing to adopt open source products, and we describe the experience of a big telecommunication player in the process of implementing an assurance evaluation platform. ©2009 IEEE.