Most segments of the technology market are hurting due to the recession, but one -- open source More about open source systems -- appears to be thriving despite the economic turmoil.

Open source vendors such as Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) More about Red Hat, SugarCRM More about SugarCRM and Vyatta say the recession has compelled organizations and corporations large and small to take a closer look at Linux-based software and hardware in an effort to reduce costs.