Why We View Open-Source as a Value-Driven Solution

The decision to go open source can be driven by many factors. At PRISMA, it all comes down to one thing: giving back to the broader gas community. 

Let’s start with something we all know: people tend to take more care when they know someone’s watching. Whether it’s straightening up your home before guests arrive or checking your appearance before a Zoom call, that extra bit of effort often comes from knowing you’re not the only one looking.

And that’s exactly why open source can be such a powerful tool.

Quality Through Transparency

One of the biggest advantages of open-source software (OSS) is transparency. When you know your code is visible to others—especially those with sharp eyes—you naturally raise your standards. That external visibility pushes us to do our best work, knowing others may be reviewing, learning from, or building on what we’ve done.

This is particularly relevant in an industry like ours, where reliability is non-negotiable. Yet some people still question whether the risks of OSS outweigh the benefits. At our recent PRISMA On Air event, someone asked whether making our crypto-shredding solution open source could compromise security.

It’s a fair question—but one I’m always happy to answer.

Why We Made Crypto-Shredding Open Source

At PRISMA, crypto-shredding is a key part of how we ensure users’ data rights under GDPR, especially when navigating the challenge of deleting personal data within systems that require immutable audit logs.

Publishing our crypto-shredding solution openly is not just safe—it’s smart. And it’s just one example of how we embrace open source to create secure, well-built tools that serve both our business and the community.

So, Why Do We Do It?

Let's break it down: Let’s break it down:

1. Better Code, Fewer Shortcuts

When developers know their work will be public, they’re more careful. Peer review, community feedback, and open scrutiny all lead to better, cleaner, and more reliable code. The chance to cut corners? Almost zero.

2. Giving Back

We benefit daily from open-source tools—languages, frameworks, libraries—built by others. So when we create software that could be useful beyond our internal needs, we feel it’s only right to share it. Once it’s out there, it becomes part of a wider conversation: users report bugs, suggest features, contribute improvements, and help shape it into something even better.

3. Building Trust and Brand Reputation

Transparency is one of PRISMA’s core values. By making some of our tools open source, we invite the community to see how we work—and to trust us because of it. It also shows potential collaborators and job candidates what we’re all about.

4. Fairness Across the Industry

Fair access to energy markets is what PRISMA was built for. Sharing parts of our work publicly helps level the playing field, giving others a chance to benefit from tools that aren't central to our competitive edge. It's another way we uphold fairness and transparency in the gas market.

But What About Security?

This is the big one. Many people still believe in “security by obscurity”—the idea that hiding something makes it safer. But in reality, if someone wants to break into your system, they’ll find a way. The better question is: have you minimized the vulnerabilities they could exploit? That’s where open source shines.

Open Source Increases Security

When software is visible, it invites more people to test it, challenge it, and help improve it. That includes developers, researchers, partners—and yes, even some bad actors. But the good overwhelmingly outweighs the bad. The collective knowledge of the community makes your software stronger, faster.

Of course, not everything should be open source. Passwords and proprietary tools that are central to your business model need to remain private. But for reusable, non-core components, opening them up is often the smartest path forward.

At PRISMA, we’re committed to keeping our digital assets secure while also supporting a fair, innovative, and collaborative gas market. And we believe open source plays a key role in that.

Whether it’s crypto-shredding or the next tool we develop, if it can help the community, we’re proud to share it.