A very interesting story has just appeared at Information Week - CRM Vendor Entellium Adopts Open-Source Strategy. It reports that Entellium is planning to release sections of their code as Open Source.

On one hand this is great news and shows that one more company has realised the advantages of Open Source software. On the other hand, it seems that Entellium is not willing to go all the way. A few different companies such as Salesforce.com have or are exploring different levels of Open Source compatibility, but they seem to have the same attitude as companies like Microsoft with their “Shared Source” program.

The only standout product out of all these types of offerings is SugarCRM. If the core engine of the CRM software system is still closed source, then users will still suffer from vendor lock-in and all the problems that that brings. So, it seems that Entellium and Salesforce.com want the best of both worlds. It probably can be achieved, but are users and companies really getting the advantages of Open Source? My other question is, will their customers realise the power and flexibility of Open Source and want more once they’ve had a taste?

An interesting article on online CRM has appeared over at Computer World. A few thoughts occurred to me while I was reading it, firstly, online apps were buzzing many years ago, but never really took off. This article’s tag reads “Vendors cite large deals as a sign of growing acceptance of online apps, but skeptics remain.” Well yeah, why wouldn’t you be skeptical after companies like Microsoft and Sun tried to push online applications. Microsoft trialled it here in Australia with their Office suite, but nothing eventuated.

Another thought that occurred to me is that if online apps are the way to go, why and how? Vendors may be able to point to “big deals” but so what. I think that there is actually a need for online apps for small businesses and non-profit organisations. Most of these types of places don’t have the resources to emply a large IT team to look after internal apps. So, a company willing to provide their application needs simplifies it for the business. CRM applications are likely ideal for this type of technology. Another advantage is that databases can be administered and backed up by someone else, giving businesses piece of mind and releasing them from the headaches of such administrative needs of a database system.

There would also be handy security enhancements and added flexibility for a roaming sales force. Although it’d be nice to have your sales force mobile with access to an online app, most small businesses cannot afford to have wuch wireless technology, it’s just too expensive. Until we get over this problem, it is a big drawback to looking at online CRM apps.

Since I’ve released this CRM Blog, I’ve noticed that there are a lot of CRM blog-type sites around that are actually managed, edited or supported by companies selling CRM software. I’m not going to name any names, but just to let readers know to be wary. Products that other sites may push or review may not be a totally unbiased opinion.

This site is not managed, edited or supported by any company with an interest in CRM software solutions. I am the main developer of the Leopard CRM Open Source software package, but this is developed in my spare time and available free of charge (although donations are welcome!).

Small business usually means small resources, but does that mean that CRM in unachievable for you? Well, if you’re looking at CRM systems that are targeted at big business, then you may think the answer to that question is “yes”, but what if there were alternatives? CRM comes in all shapes and sizes, this can make it hard for small businesses to adapt CRM to their way of working. Sometimes some changes are needed to the way a small business operates to be able to adapt to a CRM system, but usually, CRM systems are designed with you in mind, so don’t let that be too much of a concern.

There are many proprietary CRM systems aimed at small businesses:

• GoldMine
• ContactTracker
• Act
• CRM in Microsoft Outlook

In addition to these offerings, there are many Open Source applications available:

• Compere
• OpenCRX
• SugarCRM
• Leopard CRM

So, it seems there are many options available for the small business, ranging in price from zero and up. As this blog continues to grow I’m going to be reviewing all of the packages mentioned here plus many more (there seem to be hundreds of software packages available), so stay tuned.