Why ITAM Forum Should Join the Linux Foundation: My Rationale and Your Questions Answered

ITAM News & Analysis

Why ITAM Forum Should Join the Linux Foundation: My Rationale and Your Questions Answered

15 October 2025

8 minute read

TLDR:

ITAM Forum has the opportunity to join the Linux Foundation as a stand-alone, self-funded project. This article covers a) What’s happening b) Why I think it’s a great move for the ITAM Forum and c) Frequently asked questions.

Summary:

ITAM Forum has the opportunity to join the Linux Foundation.
ITAM Forum Trustee Board will vote on the transition this month, and all Forum members will be asked for their views (Keep an eye out for the survey).
If Trustees approve a special resolution on 27 October, we will restructure and transfer the not-for-profit into the Linux Foundation within up to 12 months, relaunching as “ITAM Forum, a Linux Foundation project”.
We keep our name, brand, website and a ring-fenced budget under project governance, while the Linux Foundation provides the neutral legal home and shared services (legal, finance, HR, events, community tooling) that remove small organisation drag, so we can deliver more, faster.
This puts us shoulder to shoulder with FinOps and adjacent communities, strengthens our USA presence, and creates clearer routes into standards and policy.
Our mission and independence stay the same. The change is operational scale and a bigger, more durable platform for the ITAM profession.

What’s happening?

We’re proposing to become “ITAM Forum, a Linux Foundation project.” If Forum Trustees approve at the special resolution meeting on 27 October dissolve the current not-for-profit and transfer its assets into the Linux Foundation, then relaunch inside Linux Foundation with our name, brand, website and ring-fenced finances. The working window for the transfer is up to 12 months.

Who are the Linux Foundation?

Why ITAM Forum should join the Linux Foundation

Where it came from – The Linux Foundation was created in 2007 when the Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group merged, bringing two key open-source bodies under one roof to support Linux and adjacent open technology.
What it does today – It’s a vendor-neutral, non-profit home for important open projects and communities, providing governance, legal/IP support, program management, marketing, events, and training/certification so projects can grow. It hosts practitioner communities and specifications as well as code. Examples include the FinOps Foundation (cloud financial management), OpenChain (open-source compliance/security processes), and SPDX (the SBOM format).
Why it’s a good home for the ITAM Forum – Linux Foundation is designed for neutral, cross-industry collaboration with project-level budgets managed via “directed funds,” so a community keeps its own governance and finances while benefiting from shared services. It also offers a recognised pathway to international standards through the Joint Development Foundation.

Why is it happening? Why ITAM Forum should join the Linux Foundation

We have outgrown what a small, independent not-for-profit can deliver at pace. Linux Foundation gives us the neutral home and shared services to scale our programs, remove month-to-month small-business cash-flow drag, and let us focus on outcomes. It also puts us shoulder-to-shoulder with FinOps and adjacent disciplines, strengthens our USA presence, and gives the ITAM Forum longevity beyond any one person.

What’s the impact

Front of house: very little changes. We keep our identity and run with our own governing board and a ring-fenced budget.

Back of house: we use Linux Foundation’s legal, finance, HR, events and community tooling so we can ship more, faster.

Collaboration with FinOps and other Linux Foundation projects becomes easier, and we gain better pathways into global policy and standards work.

My take

This is an exciting opportunity for us. We began as a spin-out of ISO work in 2020 and built the ITAM Forum from scratch. It’s been a brilliant journey, but we’re still a small organisation, and there’s far more to do than we can deliver with today’s resources. This move would strengthen our presence in the USA and give the ITAM Forum proper longevity beyond any single person, me included. We’d be plugged directly into the software industry infrastructure, allowing us to grow the impact of both ITAM Forum and the ITAM profession as a whole.

Moving into the Linux Foundation is the next logical step. We keep our identity and mission while gaining the neutral home and infrastructure to scale what matters.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is being proposed? To operate as an independent project within the Linux Foundation (LF). Projects retain their own name, brand, website and directed funds. The Linux Foundation provides the neutral legal home and shared services.
Why do this now? We have outgrown what a small, independent not-for-profit can deliver at pace. LF brings infrastructure, credibility, and scale so we can focus on outcomes for the ITAM profession.
What is the alternative to joining the Linux Foundation? Remain an independent not-for-profit and pursue industry collaboration outside the LF structure. That is a valid path. We believe the LF option accelerates our impact.
Will the ITAM Forum cease to exist or be ‘absorbed’? No. The model is “ITAM Forum, a Linux Foundation project.” We keep identity and governance, with LF as the neutral home and services layer.
How will governance work? We would adopt a typical LF setup: a Governing Board for strategy, budget and operations, and a subject-matter body for frameworks and best practice. Our budget is ring-fenced and controlled at project level via a directed-fund charter.
Will big vendors influence or control us? LF runs on open governance. Safeguards ensure no single vendor can dominate. We will design our project governance to keep balanced representation, with a strong voice for end-users and practitioners.
Day to day, what actually changes? Front-of-house, very little: we keep our name, logo, website and outward identity. Back-office improves: legal, finance, HR, events, and community tooling shift onto LF services so we can spend more time on outcomes.
Does the Linux Foundation fund us? There is no capital injection. We continue to generate our own funds. The benefit is operational: LF covers day-to-day expenses against an approved annual plan so we can execute the year’s programme without month-to-month cash-flow constraints.
Will supporters need to join the Linux Foundation? Some patron or sponsorship arrangements may require LF membership. We will set out the specifics during chartering so it is simple and predictable.
Is the Linux Foundation only about open-source code? Where does ITAM fit? LF also hosts management and best-practice initiatives. Examples include FinOps Foundation, OpenChain and SPDX – evidence that non-code governance, compliance and practice communities are first-class citizens at LF.
What will this mean for collaboration with the FinOps Foundation? It should get easier and closer: shared workstreams, cross-reviews, joint events, and clear pathways between practices. This helps us educate FinOps practitioners about ITAM and vice versa, and reflects the real-world convergence of disciplines.
Will our visibility be diluted inside a large organisation? Experience suggests the opposite. With ring-fenced governance, shared PR/events, and access to LF’s ecosystem, our visibility and output should increase, while we retain our brand and voice.
How does this affect ISO 19770 and standardisation work? It is complementary. LF’s Joint Development Foundation provides a recognised pathway to ISO when appropriate. There may be legal nuances around formal liaison categories, but there are workable routes to continue contributing to ISO 19770. We will keep the community updated as we lock this down.
What are the main risks? The two I hear most are “loss of identity” and “market perception that LF is only open source.” Identity remains ours, and we will communicate clearly that this is a home for the Forum, not a redefinition of the discipline. On perception, we will show practical outcomes and partnerships that make the value obvious.
What are the main benefits? Neutral governance, shared services, global reach, easier collaboration with adjacent LF projects, better policy engagement, and the operational freedom to deliver more for the community, faster.
What is the decision process and timeline? Trustees will take a binding vote on 27 October (special resolution, 75% required). If approved, we will restructure to meet LF requirements and transfer assets to LF within up to 12 months. We are also running a member survey to gather views that will inform Trustee deliberations.

How to share your view
If you are an ITAM Forum member, please complete the survey when it lands in your inbox. If you have a question not covered here, please get in touch.

— Martin Thompson, Founder, ITAM Forum