Open Source CRM Upcoming Releases

Writing software is an infinite cycle-you never actually finish building it. Imagine having to build a road that never ends. Since open source CRM solutions are relatively young (only few years old), there are numerous features customers want. Also, as part of any release, you have to improve performance, the user experience and even documentation.  We will frequently take a look at what the major open source CRM vendors are planning for upcoming releases.

SugarCRM

Current SugarCRM release is 5.2. The major enhancement 5.2 offered was native mobile integration, including with the  iPhone and Blackberry. Next release is 5.5 , planned for the summer of 2009, while a major release (6.0) is scheduled for the end of this year. 5.5 will include the following enhancements:

  • You can build your own custom screens for wireless, from the sugarCRM studio (only in the Professional and enterprise editions)
  • Records can be assigned to multiple teams (only in the Professional and enterprise editions)
  • Improvements in web services - addition of a REST API (in addition to the SOAP API),  more complex web service calls to minimize the number of calls being made and improved documentation
  • Improved themes - easier to build and customize, separation of the presentation layer from the logic layer.
  • Better password management -  enforce password strength, password expiration, password reset and locking of users
  • Additional native cloud connectors to  web services, such as LinkedIn
Improvements to sugarCRM’s calender, a frequently requested feature,  will not be part of 5.5.
From my perspective, the most important enhancement part of SugarCRM 5.5 are the web service API and the could connectors. Modern business application vendors are quickly learning from past mistakes that they must remain as open to the outside world as possible. Using SugarCRM REST services will significanitley simplify integration with other applications and building of mash-ups which include sugarCRM objects. The cloud connectors will also make Sugar a more attractive offering to many customers.
SugarCRM on iPhone

OpenCX

We will cover OpenCRX, another open source CRM solution. Activity in this project is strong, and the team is very transparent. Their roadmap is easily accessible from their homepage, with a clear indication on what is completed.
OpenCRX introduced mobile integration, including the iPhone, in release 2.2. Current release, 2.3, included a REST interface, similar to the one Sugar are planning for 5.5. Additional 2.3 features include UI improvement and support for Jboss 5 application server (OpenCRX is a J2EE application, as opposed to Sugar, which is a PHP application).
Enhancements planned for 2.4:
  • Ajax enhancement for improved user experience
  • Improved scheduling, such as rooms reservations, car pooling etc.
  • Export of object from OpenCRX, such as contact and calender items
  • Improvement to the underlying Java infrastructure
  • Enhanced mobile support - including the Google G1 smartphone
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February 26, 2009 · Filed Under SugarCRM

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