Open-source software has found increasing acceptance within IT for infrastructure application - but many may still wonder, 'Is it possible to run a company almost entirely with open-source offerings?'

Yes, according to Smartleaf, a 25-person Cambridge, Mass.-based application service provider ASP that creates and provides Web-based services and an open-source user for the majority of its IT infrastructure, development and production environments, and user desktops ever since the company was founded in 1999.

Smartleaf's primary product, a financial account management system, lets banks, brokerages, registered investment advisors and other financial institutions manage individual accounts in a scalable and customized manner, including using any combination of internal and external research. Privately held, SmartLeaf currently supports more than 40 customers managing a total of more than $6 billion in assets.

The open-source-intensive approach dates back to the creation of the company, championed by Robert Thau, chief architect at SmartLeaf, according to Dan Ritter, SmartLeaf's director of IT Operations. Ritter has been with SmartLeaf since 2004; before that, he worked for Akamai and BBN. His experience includes system administration and network engineering with special attention to security.

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