Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Understanding-SaaS (Software as a Service)


While SaaS has Many Powerful Benefits, it is not perfect. Despite the fact that the Software as a Service business model is growing in popularity, this doesn't mean that it is perfect. Many proponents of this technology spend too much time promoting its benefits, without taking the time to look at some of the more negative aspects of the technology.

As a business owner or individual, your goal should be to use a tool which can make you highly efficient. Being aware of both the advantages and disadvantages of SaaS will better prepare you for using this tool, and it will allow you to make better decisions than your competitors, who are often sold the technology based purely on its benefits.
The biggest problem with any new technology is that it is subject to a great deal of hype. It should be the responsibility of the end user to cut past the hype and focus on the genuine article, because this is the only thing that truly matters in the long term.
Having said that, it is important to become familiar with the many myths that have come to surround SaaS. Remeber, in the world of business, assumptions can become very expensive. It is best never to assume anything. One issue that must be brought to life is the issue of cost for SaaS versus traditional software.
Many proponents of SaaS claim that this business model is cheaper than traditional software licensing. They are correct but only for a period of time. Statistics done on this subject show that those who use SaaS "will" save more in the first two years of its implementation than they would save with traditional software models. But over the long term, SaaS will actually cost more than the traditional software model.

Another myth that is commonly associated with SaaS is the belief that it is just as expensive as the utility model. Statistics have shown that this statement is false in most cases. Many SaaS providers promote themselves as being providers who are utility based, and this comes from the belief that the customer will only pay for whatever they actually use, which again is not correct.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Some Free ERP softwares available for download




Hey here I am giving away links to some of the free ERP softwares which are available free of cost but before using them I must remind you once that all the softwares mentioned in this post are developed by different companied and their usage is bound to their terms and conditions, They are free for use however as I have not tested them personally I suggest you all to try them on your own risk.


ERP's


1) Advanced Enterprise 4.13.32


Advanced Enterprise is a free ERP software designed to keep and track information regarding production orders and generate invoices when goods are shipped to customer. Advanced Enterprise integrated with production and accounting provides the ultimate control over order processing and production. Advanced Enterprise requires Microsoft SQL Server to operate. In can work with free MSDE Edition, but for full multi-user functionality we recommend a full version of Microsoft SQL Server. Advanced Enterprise main features: Maintains Order Status: Draft, Production, Shipped, Invoiced, Autoinvoiced, Cancelled, Back Ordered; Maintains Acknowledge and Planned Ship Dates; Allows changing ordered item being in production; Maintains list price for manufacturing goods; Integrated Bill Of Material makes sure that only non-discontinued products can be ordered; and more...




2) RVX Manager 1.0



RVX Manager is a standard, open and flexible ERP solution with the ability to adapt to any business process and control the results with a minimal cost and effort.
Features: RVX Manager is an ERP solution. It is flexible and is able to adapt to business processes and let you get desired results with minimum expenses and efforts. The best feature of course is that the whole package is free. Standard business processes that are made available are inventory control, sales, purchases, manufacturing, financial accounting, human resources management, assets management etc. The basic facilities available make the package suit the business requirements of most company`s needs. However, most often some customization of the software is always required. The RVX manager is claimed to be designed to be extensible. Extension is possible through plugins, special fields, documents, functions, reports and special software modules. It is also free source, so if need be, the source code can be modified easily. The source code is available for anyone who wants to do any extension. The publishers also provide the necessary services for customization. You can also use third party developers too. RVX Manager is developed using freeware technologies such as PHP programming language and MySQL database server. Customers thus can save the cost of any extra server licenses. The software can work with Linux and Windows operating systems. Installation is easy with either OS environment.
Overall: This provides quite an opportunity to get started with ERP. You may need to spend money only for the customizations required.




3) i-sense Groupware Suite r2.100



The i-sense Groupware Suite is a web-based enterprise groupware application for SMEs and project teams. i-sense also offers extensive CRM and ERP functionality.
Pros: The i-sense Groupware Suite is designed to be deployed as a SaaS or software as a service deployment model. It is a web-based enterprise collaboration service for project teams in SMEs. CRM and ERP functionality also are available in the services offered. Additional solution packages to support you on group-based management of diverse applications, such as an integrated inventory management and a comprehensive billing system. Being a SaaS offering it is easy to install, works across all OS platforms, prime requirement being availability of a compatible browser. Basic services available are email, task management, group calendar, file management and so on. It offers modularity, platform-independence, simplicity, multi-language support, flexibility and extensibility as a whole. It is completely customizable and extendable through individual solutions modules. An integrated package that offers all the functional needs in one package and available always, anywhere seem to be trend where application deployment is going. The need for expandability and adaptability is met through customizations available.
With pay as you go subscription model up front investments are controlled and one can see quick ROI. Deployment and management of the application infrastructure is very low cost too. All the headaches of upgrades and updates need worry the IT services group of the enterprise at all as those are taken care of by the vendor. Flexibility and scalability comes from the ability to subscribe new modules and integrate them into your existing structure at any time, as easy as you may also unsubscribe applications that you don`t require anymore. Additionally, you can customize and extend your applications to your individual needs.
Cons: Being deployed on external servers there’s always a concern about security and confidentiality of the enterprise data. One must take care of such concern through the service level agreement and the security and confidentiality arrangement of the vendor’s facilities.
Overall a very flexible, low cost and scalable solution this is rated at 4 stars.




4) Business management studio 2009


BMS is a management system that may look like CRM or ERP system or... like cook-book or photo-book ;) Build your software! Now you can design your forms, menus and actions as you want it. You can build your own project, your own software, your own database, your own BUSINESS! You do not need to know any special computer languages like SQL or C++ or any other. It`s very simple to create your own project. Just place components needed into form, add to client`s menu and run Bms-client. We believe you should have complete freedom to include any text, graphics, photos and data anywhere on the interface.


Overall a nice way of building an application.




5) NolaPro Accounting Suite 4.0.4998


NolaPro is a free, web-based ERP, Accounting and Inventory Suite. Install on your own PC for secure access via the web. No user/data restrictions, nag screens, or expiration. Customization is available to fit NolaPro to your business or industry.


Overall: A rich in features application that is easy to use and is really useful in the corporate environment.






Many more free ERP solutions Keep looking for future posts.