Open source software could be a useful thing to have in the workplace, according to an expert in office technology.

Paul Cronin, the director at risk management service provider Pentura, is a firm proponent of such options for a business and underlined how issues of getting help with any difficulties are sometimes much easier than that provided by professionals.

He said: "I use a lot of open-source, so when I get an issue I've got to then rely on the community to help me resolve those issues and nine times out of ten they've been better than when I've used commercial type software."

Mr Cronin added that while there is no-one to "really point the finger and shout at" when something does not work, open source could be "very attractive" from a budgetary stance and emphasised how it may be a great accompaniment to more established software provisions.

His comments follow a report by computer magazine Which? Computing that found users could save over £1,000 by changing to free software and services to keep their PC safe.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).