In an earlier piece, I explored how institutions assess risk through the lens of familiarity rather than evidence. From mustard oil to open source, the pattern is consistent: what fits existing mental models is accepted, what requires new thinking is resisted.

That was about mindset. This one is about action.

The Three Paths

Enterprise technology decisions almost always come down to three options:

Open source - transparency, flexibility, long-term control. You own the outcome. You also own the responsibility.

Commercially supported platforms - reduced operational risk, less internal dependency. You trade some control for predictability and SLAs.

Large enterprise vendors - ecosystem maturity, compliance comfort, someone to call when things break. You pay for that certainty.

Three paths. Three trade-offs. No universal winner.

Mature enterprises do not treat these as competing ideologies. They treat them as choices - exercised deliberately, based on context, scale, skills, and risk appetite.

The real power lies not in picking sides, but in knowing when to choose what.

The Shift

Years ago, IT partners walked into boardrooms with one predictable answer: a large, expensive enterprise product.

Today, the conversation begins differently:

“Here are three ways to solve your problem. Choose the one that fits your reality.”

That shift is what this series is about.

What This Series Will Do

Each article will examine a specific enterprise domain and explore how the power of choice plays out.

The goal is not to declare winners.

The focus is on:

  • Where open source fits naturally
  • Where commercial support makes sense
  • What trade-offs enterprises must accept
  • How internal capability shapes outcomes

Practitioner-led reflections. Real deployments. Real constraints. Real accountability.

The underlying belief is simple:

  • No single tool fits all.
  • The value lies not in prescribing answers, but in presenting choices.
  • Not in pushing brands, but in guiding decisions.
  • Every organisation deserves its own bouquet of options - and the clarity to choose well.

Why This Matters Now

In India, this conversation matters even more.

Digital public infrastructure has already proven what is possible. UPI. Aadhaar. CoWIN.

The talent exists. The scale exists. What comes next is the shift from consuming open source to shaping it.

Data sovereignty is no longer a policy footnote. It is an operational reality. Regulatory frameworks are tightening. And the next generation of enterprise systems will be built by teams who understand that choice is not about cost alone - it is about ownership, control, and long-term resilience.

The foundation for this shift is being built. Quietly. Deliberately.

What Comes Next

In the coming articles, we will explore real alternatives - or rather, real possibilities - across the enterprise technology landscape.

Not to recommend a single tool. But to understand how the power of choice actually plays out in real-world enterprise decisions.