WASHINGTON – The George Washington University is pleased to announce that Bruce Perens and Rishab Aiyer Ghosh, two world-renowned leaders in the Open Source movement, have joined its Cyber Security Policy and Research Institute (CSPRI). 

Perens and Ghosh will work at CSPRI to ensure that Open Source – software with the source code freely available to anyone – is used effectively in our nation’s security infrastructure and to ensure that government cyber security policy accommodates Open Source.  In contrast to proprietary software, Open Source allows software to evolve more rapidly because programmers are able to read, modify and improve the software without restrictions. 

Perens will join CSPRI as a senior research scientist and Ghosh as a senior policy analyst.  Perens is a former Hewlett Packard executive, co-founder of the Open Source Initiative and a software designer.  Ghosh is an academic researcher who specializes in the business, economic and policy implications of Open Source software and the Internet.

“Our nation’s cyber security depends heavily on Open Source software, and as a result, the institute’s services are increasingly in demand, both here and abroad,” said Tony Stanco, associate director of CSPRI.  “We are very glad that Bruce Perens and Rishab Aiyer Ghosh have joined us; their unique experience and expertise will certainly be an asset to CSPRI.”

CSPRI, established in 1993 at GW’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, is rapidly becoming one of the Open Source movement’s premier venues for policy discussions and research.  The institute brings together representatives from local, national and international organizations in both the private and public sectors to address the impact of Open Source on governments around the world.  The institute hosts Open Source in government conferences and is involved in Open Source government policy, the National Security Agency’s security enhanced Linux and the National Information Assurance Partnership certification of Linux.