In 2006, the Open Management Consortium was formed to help advance the promotion, adoption, development and integration of open source systems/network management software. They hope to create better awareness of open source management tools in the market, provide resources for end users, establish conventions and standards, as well as work towards collaboration and coordination of common projects. Tom discusses the current status of the consortium with founding member Whurley (William Hurley) of BMG Software, Inc.

They first talk about the organization's background, including some of the initial misunderstandings and criticisms. Their main purpose though is to be a place to have a conversation about open source and system management. He reviews the organizational structure, particularly its dependence on volunteers and donated technology from its partners. Whurley also previews some of the consortium's upcoming projects, including a systems management barcamp to help return user innovation.