OpenERP 7.0 Sets Stage for One-Stop Integrated Business Apps
OpenERP, a Belgium-based maker of open source ERP software, capped off the year by announcing a new release and pricing details. OpenERP 7.0 debuted just ahead of the holidays with new features aimed at getting complete newcomers up and running quickly, said OpenERP's CEO Marc Laporte.
According to the company, “OpenERP 7.0 has been tested with customers who had never been exposed to it.” Within minutes, new users without prior training on the platform were reportedly able to complete typical tasks like creating a sales order and invoicing customers. Clearly an ego-boosting mark of success for the group, Laporte said in a company statement, “This is one of the achievements we are most proud of.”
OpenERP is banking on ease-of-use to help its platform gain momentum in the midsized enterprise software market and stand apart from other open source ERP software.
Along with user-friendly interface tweaks and streamlined workflows, OpenERP boasts several new, interoperable modules as part of the company's “Integrated Business Applications” strategy for ERP portals. They include a new touchscreen point-of-sale interface, fleet management apps, a customer portal and Google Docs integration.
The platform's developers are also doubling down on the software's social enterprise features. Building on their work from February's version 6.1 release, the OpenERP team has added LinkedIn integration and an events notification engine that bridges business apps with social networks in an effort to cut down on the never-ending flow of email alerts that clog inboxes.
To cut down on clicks and app-hopping, the OpenERP team has also worked to deliver more context-sensitive data to fewer application windows. According to the firm, users “can access any document (for instance a sales order) and any discussion related to it in a single view.”
OpenERP 7.0 is available now. Pricing for both on-premise and software-as-a-service (SaaS) implementations starts at $39 per month.
Pedro Hernandez is a contributing editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Follow him on Twitter @ecoINSITE.
Pedro Hernandez contributes to Enterprise Apps Today, and 11Press, the technology network. He was previously the managing editor of Internet.com, an IT-related website network. He has expertise in Smart Tech, CRM, and Mobile Tech, Helping Banks and Fintechs, Telcos and Automotive OEMs, and Healthcare and Identity Service Providers to Protect Mobile Apps.
