Open-Source & Sustainability

Much of the Internet is driven by open-source software. For the post part, the communities that build this software have been driven by performance, features and fun, not sustainability. How can large open-source communities be engaged to reduce our global impact?

Biography

Mike Gifford is the founder and president of OpenConcept Consulting Inc., which he started in 1999. Since then he has been active in developing and enhancing open-source content management systems to facilitate client control over their content.

Passionate about building communities of collaboration, Mike and his team at OpenConcept have worked with several national government & non-government organizations. They have effectively delivered large projects like websites for PWGSC’s Buy & Sell and the Standard’s Council of Canada and have consulted for numerous other government departments over the years.

Although having spearheaded the accessibility enhancements in Drupal over the last four years, Mike is now a Drupal 8 Core Accessibility Maintainer. Drupal is an open-source content management system used globally by over a million websites. Knowing the importance of accessibility to government agencies, Mike worked to improve the functionality of Drupal and awareness of accessibility issues within the community.

Mike is the lead author of the Drupal Security Guide, which outlines many best practices to ensure that your site is following security best practices. OpenConcept is a Certified Benefit Corporation and works to be a “not-only-for-profit” company, seeking to make a difference in the world and on the web.