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SAP is of the opinion that Siebel customers face an uncertain future in the wake of its acquisition by Oracle. SAP is offering its "Safe Passage" program to companies that are using the Siebel software. The program offers applications and support on the SAP platform. Oracle on its part has stated that the Siebel would form the basis of Oracle CRM. crmbuyer.com says:

"Customers have a mandate to grow their businesses today," said Bill McDermott, president and CEO of SAP America. "They cannot afford to wait until 2008 or 2010 or 2013 to see if the merged software code of Oracle’s multitude of acquired companies yields a viable product."

Go to: SAP-Oracle Battle Heats Up

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 is a major update on the CRM software that was introduced by Microsoft 3 years ago. Microsoft hopes to catch up with the other contenders in the midmarket segment with the help of this release. Customers who brought the first release had to put up with synchornization issues that made data-sharing with remote workers very difficult.

The updated Microsoft CRM 3.0 includes automation and service modules that help in direct marketing and in the co-ordination of employee schedules, respectively. Other useful enhancements include improved Outlook and Office integration. The application is available in Small Business and Professional Editions. Dynamics CRM is available through the volume licensing program. The Small Business Edition costs $ 440 per user and the Professional Edition costs $ 1,760 per server.

Centric CRM, whose version 3.1 is available for download, is an advanced open source CRM solution. The solution uses SSL and one-way encrypted passwords for excellent data security. Centric CRM can be scaled for large enterprises and offers speedy performance as it uses optimized SQL code, database connection pooling, object caching, process queuing, etc. Workflow processes can be initiated using timers; thus, when an insertion, update, deletion, or selection occurs a customizable workflow process is automatically triggered. The application can run on Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, Sun, and FreeBSD.

CentraView offers an Open Source CBM software that includes Contact Management, SFA, and CRM. The application is available under the Open Software License v2.1. The CentraView Open Source Centralized Business Management software has a low cost of ownership and a highly scalable architecture. The software is built on the Enterprise Java (J2EE) platform and works well with open source technologies such as Linux (RedHat Enterprise and Fedora), Apache Tomcat, JBoss and MySQL.

Compiere is a free open source ERP software application that has CRM software solutions integrated into it. It offers an ideal solution to the CRM-related requirements of SMBs. Compiere includes several modules such as the core module consisting of payroll, inventory; advanced modules such as bar coding, bill of lading; web related modules such as online customers, web commerce customers, etc. The latest release 2.5.3a is available for download. The unicode is in Javaclient and HTML UI.

Ohioedge CRM Server is a web-based open source CRM application. It is a Java-based enterprise solution that runs on J2EE-compliant application servers and is distributed under the Mozilla Public License 1.1. It is ideal for companies that wish to co-ordinate sales generation and fulfillment activities.

hipergate is an open source CRM package written in Java. It is an exhaustive suite and includes sales automation, intranet, email marketing, bug tracking, webmail, file sharing, etc. It works with any 32-bit MS Windows operating system. It is available under the General Public License (GPL).

Open For Business (OFBiz) is an open source suite of enterprise applications. It is easy to scale, use, and customize. Its features include advanced e-commerce, catalog management, order management, customer management, warehouse management, etc. OFBiz is available under the MIT Open Source License.

openCRX is an open source CRM application written in Java. It is highly scalable, vendor neutral, and platform independent. It can work on any platform with a J2EE-compliant appserver. It supports database management systems such as MySQL, MaxDB, PostgreSQL, MS SQL, Oracle, etc.

The application comes with the openCRX source code, the UML models and the entire Javadoc. The solution is as good as an enterprise level suite with functions for sales, contact center management, issue management, etc. It supports multiple languages and multiple currencies and is thus ideal for companies that have a global presence.  

openCRX is compatible with the recent versions of IE, Mozilla, Opera, etc. The software is easily integrated with the existing business applications in a company, such as ERP, SCM, etc. As the open source software supports common technologies such as CORBA, RMI, JMS, etc it offers excellent protection for the investment already made.

The solution, which offers facilities such as document management and inventory tracking, is highly scalable and can support a distributed environment in which thousands of users access the application simultaneously. openCRX is an ideal alternative to both in-house and hosted CRM solutions.

Daffodil CRM is a commercially available open source CRM application written in Java. It enables organizations to manage their customer relationships in an effective way. It offers support from the beginning of the customer-relationship lifecycle, i.e from the determination of a business opportunity to maintaining the faith of existing customers and getting new ones.

Daffodil CRM has a servlet enabled server and a JVM. It is easy to install and configure. Its features include the ability to customize views, quick filters, support for campaigns, summary reports, auto mail attachments, built-in database, support for B2B and B2C functionalities.

Cream 2.0 "Sofija" is an open source CRM system designed specifically for the media industry. The solution is written in Java and is tailored to meet the requirements of those in the publishing sector. It supports subscription management, incoming and outgoing customer communications, and features reporting and analytical functions that are easy to use.

Its functionalities for the end users include text and HTML emails, a WYSIWYG HTML editor, HTML newsletters, a localized user interface, compatible with Windows, available in Dutch, German, Spanish, Russian, and other languages.

In terms of development, its features include a Turbine 2.3.1 framework, a Torque 3.1.1 object persistence layer, a Velocity 1.3.1 template engine, and a Maven software project management and comprehension tool.

The CRM application from SourceTap is an open source Sales Force Automation (SFA) tool written in Java. The tool offers standard SFA functionalities such as lead, account, and opportunity management. It enables the sales management team to respond quickly to market trends.

By enabling accurate forecasting and the sharing of information between sales teams, the SourceTap CRM allows sales representatives to customize their offerings as per the needs of the prospective clients. Thus, by fostering collaborative efforts the tool enables the sales team members to close more deals. The tool adapts to the varying sales cycles for different products in the same organization.

Information exchange among customer service teams, channel partners, marketing teams, etc occurs in real-time. All involved can access detailed account information. The reporting system available in the tool facilitates an easy review and analysis of current and historical data. This allows the sales managers to judge trends in customer and market behavior.

Technicar Inc, which is a mid-sized automobile electronics manufacturer, has chosen to deploy SAP® Business One. Business One is an integrated software solution for SMBs. Technicar operates from Oldsmar, Fla. and Cleveland, Ohio and has has more than 200 employees on its roll. The company is shifting to Business One as it will enable them to keep up with the bigger customers and suppliers.

Technicar hopes to benefit from the SAP Business One Software Development Kit (SDK) make use of the customizable embedded CRM capabilities in the software to manage its workflow. Technicar was previously using a Solomon legacy system.

The Siebel Business Analytics 7.8 is a significant new launch from Siebel Systems Inc. The latest version of this popular business analytics solution incorporates a number of predictive analytic solutions which results in an improvement in intelligent customer interactions.

The new release also offers new enterprise BI platform products that provide increased functionality. Siebel considers the solution to be a next generation BI and analytics solution that will enable companies to offer role-based information in real-time to the appropriate employee; thereby driving the decision-making process in an effective manner.

Intelligent real-time customer interactions are made possible by the new Real-time Decisions (RTD) products that make use of predictive analysis. Intelligent customer interactions across the various customer-facing channels such as contact centers, websites, etc can result in strengthening customer relationships.

The predictive analytics integrate context and behavior observed in real-time with already present information on the customer and put forward the most appropriate proposition under the circumstances. The solution facilitates the putting forth of intelligent offers, cross-selling, and customer retention management. Industry specific versions of the Siebel RTD analytic applications are available for the communications and media and the financial services sectors.

The applications that comprise the Siebel Business Analytics are modular in architecture and can integrate and convert data, from sources such as Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP, etc, into information that can be actioned upon by users working in various business functions such as sales, HR, finance, supply chain, etc.

The 7.8 series of analytic applications has been optimized to make maximum use of database platforms such as the Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, Oracle, and Teradata. The Siebel Business Analytics 7.8 offers IT professionals scalable Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) functionality. siebel.com says:

In addition to the new Siebel RTD predictive analytic applications, Siebel has significantly updated and enhanced its entire analytic applications product family with additional ‘best practice’ metrics and processes, enhanced usability, visualization and interactivity, additional role-specific dashboards, and new analytic agents and workflows.

Go to: Siebel Systems Announces General Availability of Siebel Business Analytics 7.8

NBOGroup, which is based in Singapore, has made a smooth transition from Salesforce.com to Siebel CRM OnDemand. NBOGroup is a leadership development, consulting, and training organization. The company chose Siebel as CRM OnDemand allows it to structure and name information fields according to the local requirements. siebel.com says:

"This powerful hosted CRM solution enables our marketing staff to manage customer relationships at every point of interaction, across the Web, email, and phone."

Go to: Singapore-based NBOGroup Selects Siebel CRM OnDemand