“We'd rather run open-source tools”
VP Engineering · Observability
A VP Engineering whose engineers would rather run open-source tools values control and flexibility, and doesn't want to depend on a vendor. That's a reasonable preference. Count the running cost: ask who keeps the open-source stack running, and what those engineers would build instead.
Practise it before the real call
Free to start. No credit card.
What the buyer says
My engineers would rather run open-source tools they control.
How to handle it
Listen
Hear "they control". The value is control, flexibility and avoiding lock-in. Licence cost is only part of it.
Acknowledge
Agree that open-source tools give engineers control and avoid lock-in, and that many teams run them well.
Explore
Ask who keeps the stack running today: upgrades, scaling, storage, on-call for the monitoring itself. Ask how much engineering time that takes, and what those engineers would otherwise be building.
Respond
If the running cost is real, position your product as giving that time back, and be clear about how it works with open standards they already use, so they keep control of their data. If they run it well and cheaply, say so.
Say this
“That's fair. Open-source tools give your engineers real control.”
Say this
“Who keeps the stack running today: the upgrades, the scaling, the storage?”
Say this
“What would those engineers be building if they weren't?”
Variations
- Head of Platform Engineering: “Our own monitoring stack is free, and we know it inside out.”
- CTO: “I don't want our telemetry locked into one vendor.”
Questions people ask
How do you respond when engineers prefer open-source monitoring tools?
Agree that open source gives them control. Ask who maintains the stack, how much time it takes and what those engineers would otherwise build, then position your product as giving that time back while working with the open standards they already use.
Is open-source monitoring really free?
The licence usually is, but running it isn't. Teams spend engineering time on upgrades, scaling, storage and keeping the monitoring itself reliable. Whether that's worth it depends on the team's size and priorities.
More objections in Observability
- “Our monitoring bill keeps going up”
- “We can't send our logs to a vendor”
- “Outages haven't hurt us”
- “Teams won't instrument their code”
Practise it before the real call
Free to start. No credit card.