Build, Grow & Manage Your Open Source Community
Go from a solo project to a thriving, self-sustaining ecosystem.
We provide the strategy, governance, and expert execution.
Open source is more than free software; it's a strategic driver for innovation, talent acquisition, and market leadership. But navigating the complexities of licensing, security, and community management can be daunting. That's where we come in. We provide the expert strategy and hands-on execution to help you harness the full power of open source, turning your project into a vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystem. We mitigate the risks so you can focus on the rewards, building not just code, but a community that becomes your most powerful asset and competitive advantage.
Why Partner with Errna for Your Community?
We're not just community managers; we are ecosystem architects. With over two decades of CMMI Level 5 certified software engineering experience, we bring a level of strategic and technical depth that is unmatched in the industry.
Strategic Guidance
We don't just manage forums. We help you define your goals, choose the right open-source model and license, and create a roadmap to build a community that serves as a strategic asset for your business.
Security & Compliance
Leverage open source without the risk. Our experts conduct rigorous security audits and ensure strict adherence to licensing agreements, protecting your intellectual property and your users.
Dedicated Maintainers
An unmaintained project dies. We provide dedicated experts to manage contributions, review pull requests, release patches, and keep your project healthy and active, ensuring its long-term viability.
Proven Playbooks
Why reinvent the wheel? We bring battle-tested strategies for everything from developer relations (DevRel) and content creation to moderation and conflict resolution, accelerating your community's growth and health.
Measurable ROI
Community isn't just a feeling; it's a business driver. We establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) like support ticket deflection, contribution velocity, and user adoption to demonstrate clear, tangible value.
Full IP Protection
Worried about competitors? We help you architect your open-source strategy to protect your core commercial IP while still fostering a vibrant community around non-core components, giving you the best of both worlds.
Ecosystem Architects
We think beyond your project. Our goal is to build a thriving ecosystem of contributors, users, and partners that creates a powerful network effect, making your platform the industry standard.
24/7 Moderation
A healthy community requires constant vigilance. Our global team provides around-the-clock moderation to ensure discussions remain positive, productive, and welcoming to all members.
CMMI 5 Process
Our CMMI Level 5 maturity in software development informs our community management. We bring unparalleled process, discipline, and quality control to every aspect of our engagement.
Our Community & Open Source Services
We offer a comprehensive suite of services to support every stage of your open-source journey, from initial strategy to long-term ecosystem management.
Open Source Strategy & Feasibility
Before you write a single line of public code, you need a plan. We analyze your business goals, technology stack, and market position to develop a tailored open-source strategy that maximizes benefits while minimizing risks. We answer the critical questions: what to open source, when, and how.
- Align open-source initiatives directly with your core business objectives.
- Receive a comprehensive risk analysis covering legal, security, and competitive landscapes.
- Get a clear roadmap for implementation, including resource planning and success metrics.
Community Architecture & Design
A great community doesn't happen by accident. We design the foundational structure for your community, selecting the right platforms (e.g., Discord, GitHub Discussions, Discourse), defining codes of conduct, and establishing the governance models that will allow it to scale effectively and healthily.
- Build a welcoming and inclusive environment from day one.
- Implement scalable governance that empowers community leaders.
- Choose the optimal tech stack to facilitate communication and collaboration.
Open Source Program Office (OSPO) as a Service
Gain the benefits of a dedicated OSPO without the overhead. We act as your outsourced Open Source Program Office, managing your company's open-source consumption, contribution, and creation. We set policies, train your developers, and ensure compliance across the organization.
- Centralize and standardize your company's open-source practices.
- Ensure all open-source usage is secure, compliant, and strategically aligned.
- Foster an internal culture of effective open-source participation.
Developer Relations (DevRel) as a Service
Connect authentically with the developers who matter most. Our DevRel experts act as advocates for your project, creating high-quality technical content, engaging at conferences and online, and gathering crucial feedback to drive your product roadmap. We build the bridge between your company and the developer community.
- Increase adoption and awareness of your technologies and APIs.
- Build credibility and trust within key developer ecosystems.
- Create a powerful feedback loop that improves your product.
Community Management & Moderation
We are the daily caretakers of your community. Our team actively manages discussions, answers questions, organizes events, and enforces your code of conduct. We keep the conversation productive, positive, and focused, creating a space where members feel valued and eager to participate.
- Ensure a safe, welcoming, and professional community environment 24/7.
- Increase member engagement and retention through proactive initiatives.
- Free up your core team from the day-to-day tasks of community oversight.
Contribution Workflow Management
Make it easy for others to help you. We design and manage a streamlined, transparent, and efficient workflow for accepting and integrating community contributions. From setting up contributor license agreements (CLAs) to managing pull requests, we remove the friction from collaborative development.
- Increase the quantity and quality of community contributions.
- Reduce the maintenance burden on your internal engineering team.
- Establish clear guidelines that set contributors up for success.
Open Source Security & Auditing (OSS Security)
Protect your project and your users. We implement best practices for open-source security, including dependency scanning, vulnerability disclosure programs, and regular code audits. We help you proactively identify and remediate security risks within your project and its dependencies.
- Secure your software supply chain against common vulnerabilities.
- Build trust with your users by demonstrating a commitment to security.
- Implement a robust process for handling security reports and patches.
License Compliance & Governance
Navigate the complexities of open-source licensing with confidence. Our experts audit your codebase for license compliance, help you choose the right license for your own projects, and establish clear policies to prevent costly legal mistakes. We ensure your use of open source is always on solid legal ground.
- Avoid legal entanglements and protect your intellectual property.
- Generate a complete Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) for your products.
- Gain peace of mind that your projects are fully compliant.
Documentation Strategy & Writing
Documentation is the user interface of your code. We develop a comprehensive documentation strategy and provide technical writers to create clear, concise, and easy-to-navigate docs, tutorials, and getting-started guides. Great documentation is one of the most effective drivers of adoption.
- Lower the barrier to entry for new users and contributors.
- Reduce the number of basic support questions and issues.
- Create a professional and polished experience for your project.
Community Content & Engagement Campaigns
A community needs fuel. We create a steady stream of engaging content—blog posts, newsletters, webinars, contests, and social media updates—designed to keep your community active, informed, and growing. We run targeted campaigns to highlight new features, celebrate contributors, and attract new members.
- Maintain top-of-mind awareness and continuous community growth.
- Showcase the value of your project and the vibrancy of its community.
- Recognize and reward community members to foster loyalty.
Contributor Mentorship & Onboarding Programs
Turn users into contributors. We design and run programs to actively mentor and onboard new contributors to your project. By providing clear pathways and dedicated support, we help grow your pool of active developers, ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of your project.
- Increase the diversity and number of active project contributors.
- Cultivate the next generation of project leaders and maintainers.
- Create a scalable and repeatable process for growing your team.
Ecosystem & Partnership Development
Your project doesn't exist in a vacuum. We identify and cultivate strategic relationships with other projects, foundations, and companies in your ecosystem. These partnerships can drive integrations, increase distribution, and unlock new opportunities for growth and collaboration.
- Amplify your project's reach and impact through strategic alliances.
- Foster valuable integrations that increase your project's utility.
- Position your project as a central hub within its technological space.
Project Forking & Modernization
Breathe new life into an abandoned or outdated open-source project. We can expertly fork a project, take over as maintainers, and modernize its codebase, dependencies, and features. This allows you to build upon a valuable foundation without being held back by a lack of maintenance.
- Revitalize critical dependencies that are no longer actively supported.
- Build a new community around a proven but neglected technology.
- Mitigate the security risks associated with using unmaintained software.
Community Analytics & Health Reporting
Go beyond vanity metrics. We implement sophisticated analytics to track the true health of your community. We report on key metrics like contributor churn, bus factor, issue response time, and sentiment analysis, providing you with actionable insights to guide your strategy.
- Make data-driven decisions about your community investments.
- Identify potential problems and opportunities before they escalate.
- Demonstrate the concrete impact of the community on your business.
AI-Powered Community Support Bots
Scale your support without scaling your team. We develop and deploy custom AI chatbots trained on your documentation and community discussions. These bots can instantly answer common questions, point users to the right resources, and escalate complex issues, providing 24/7 first-line support.
- Dramatically reduce response times for common user queries.
- Free up community managers and developers to focus on high-value tasks.
- Provide a consistent and accurate source of information for your users.
Success Stories in Open Source
We help our clients turn code into thriving ecosystems. See how our strategic approach to community and open source delivers measurable results.
Driving Developer Adoption for a FinTech API
Client Overview
A venture-backed startup providing a suite of complex financial data APIs. Despite having a powerful product, they struggled with slow developer adoption and a high volume of basic support questions that were overwhelming their small engineering team.
"Errna didn't just manage a forum; they built our developer ecosystem from the ground up. The reduction in support tickets alone was worth the investment, but the surge in API signups transformed our growth trajectory."
- Sarah Chen, CTO, FinAnalyticaThe Problem
The client's primary growth channel was direct developer signups, but their documentation was confusing and they had no central place for developers to ask questions or share solutions. This led to a poor developer experience, high churn, and a support burden that was stalling product development.
Key Challenges
- Poor developer onboarding experience.
- Lack of a community platform for peer-to-peer support.
- High volume of repetitive support questions.
- Inability to gather structured feedback from users.
Our Solution
We implemented a multi-faceted DevRel and Community strategy:
- Launched a Discourse forum and Discord server for community interaction.
- Overhauled the API documentation and created a series of "Getting Started" video tutorials.
- Deployed our DevRel team to engage with developers, answer questions, and proactively gather feedback.
- Created an open-source repository of example applications using the API, encouraging community contributions.
Launching a Secure Enterprise Open Source Program
Client Overview
A Fortune 500 software company wanted to open-source a powerful internal data processing tool to establish it as an industry standard. However, they were deeply concerned about the security implications, potential legal risks from licensing, and the resource drain of managing a large-scale project.
"The idea of open-sourcing our core tech was terrifying. Errna's OSPO-as-a-Service gave us the framework and confidence to do it right. They handled all the complexity, from security audits to contributor management, allowing us to reap the rewards without the risk."
- David Lee, VP of Engineering, EnterpriseSoftThe Problem
The client lacked any internal policies or expertise for managing open source. They needed a comprehensive program that would protect their IP, ensure security, manage contributions effectively, and foster a positive community, all without derailing their internal product roadmap.
Key Challenges
- No existing open-source governance or policies.
- Significant security concerns about exposing internal code.
- Uncertainty about choosing the correct open-source license.
- Lack of resources to dedicate to project maintenance and community management.
Our Solution
We provided our OSPO-as-a-Service solution:
- Conducted a thorough security audit of the codebase before release and implemented a vulnerability disclosure program.
- Developed a comprehensive set of internal policies for open-source contribution and consumption.
- Guided the legal team in selecting an appropriate license (Apache 2.0) that aligned with their business goals.
- Acted as the primary project maintainers, managing the GitHub repository, reviewing all pull requests, and engaging with the new community.
SaaS Community Turnaround and Growth
Client Overview
A mid-sized B2B SaaS company had an existing user forum, but it had become a ghost town, populated only by unanswered support questions and occasional spam. It was a detriment to their brand and provided no value to their users.
"Our old forum was an embarrassment. Errna came in with a clear strategy and executed flawlessly. It's now our #1 source of product feedback and a place our customers actually love to be. The transformation is incredible."
- Maria Garcia, Head of Product, ConnectFlowThe Problem
The lack of active management had destroyed user trust in the community. New users saw no value in participating, and power users had long since departed. The company was missing out on a huge opportunity for peer support, feedback, and user engagement.
Key Challenges
- Extremely low user engagement and participation.
- Negative perception due to spam and unanswered questions.
- No system for channeling feedback from the community to the product team.
- No content or events to stimulate discussion.
Our Solution
We executed a complete community turnaround plan:
- Migrated the forum to a modern platform with better moderation tools and user experience.
- Implemented a 24/7 moderation plan to eliminate spam and ensure all questions received a timely response.
- Launched a weekly content series, including "how-to" guides and user spotlights, to drive engagement.
- Established a "Community Champions" program to empower and reward power users, turning them into advocates.
Ready to Build Your Ecosystem?
Let's talk about how a strategic approach to open source and community can become your greatest competitive advantage. Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with our experts today.
Request A Free ConsultationTechnology & Platforms We Master
We leverage the best tools to build and manage thriving communities across the digital landscape.
What Our Partners Say
We build more than communities; we build lasting relationships based on trust and results.
"Errna's DevRel team is world-class. They integrated seamlessly with our engineers and built a level of trust with the developer community we never could have achieved on our own. They're true partners in our success."
"The security audit and license compliance report Errna delivered was incredibly thorough. It gave our board the confidence to move forward with our open-source strategy. Their expertise is second to none."
"We thought community management was just about deleting spam. Errna showed us it was about building relationships. Our user retention has increased by over 25% since they took over our community platforms."
"As a startup founder, I can't afford a full-time OSPO. Errna's OSPO-as-a-Service is the perfect solution. We get enterprise-level governance and strategy at a fraction of the cost. It's a game-changer."
"The documentation they wrote for our open-source library is a work of art. It's clear, comprehensive, and has dramatically reduced the number of 'how-to' questions we get. It's been a huge driver of adoption."
"The analytics and health reports we get from Errna are invaluable. We can finally see the direct impact of community on our business goals. They've turned an art into a science."
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions? We have answers. Here are some of the most common inquiries about our community and open-source services.
The software itself may be free, but the strategic management required to leverage it effectively is not. Time, expertise, and resources are needed for security, compliance, maintenance, and community building. We provide these specialized services, allowing you to reap the benefits of open source while avoiding common and costly pitfalls. Think of it as the difference between getting free building materials and hiring an expert architect and construction crew to build a skyscraper.
We believe in data-driven community management. We work with you to define clear KPIs tied to your business goals. These can include: reduction in support costs (ticket deflection), increased product adoption, higher user retention rates, sourcing of product feedback and new features, lead generation from community engagement, and accelerated innovation through community contributions. We provide regular reports to track progress against these concrete metrics.
This is a common and valid concern. Our strategic approach is key to mitigating this risk. We help you carefully decide what to open source (often the core framework, while keeping proprietary extensions closed) and select the right license (e.g., copyleft licenses like AGPL can deter commercial competitors). The goal is to build a community so strong and a pace of innovation so fast that your ecosystem becomes a competitive advantage that is impossible to replicate, even with access to the code.
We function as a seamless extension of your team. We adapt to your preferred communication channels, whether it's Slack, MS Teams, or regular Zoom calls. Our project managers and community leads work closely with your product, engineering, and marketing teams to ensure alignment. We provide transparent reporting and maintain constant communication, so you always have full visibility into our activities and their impact.