Software Supply
From Entrepedia: The Entrepreneurship Wiki
The number of different services that can be provided by cheap — or even free — online software now is staggering. However, finding and optimising use of these services can be incredibly tough for that very same reason. Some forms of software are so extensive that they warrant a separate article dedicated just to them, particularly anti-spyware software and anti-virus software packages, which have several different professional and freeware options available.
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General Software
For online backup software, check out Carbonite, which costs $49/annum; Backup Technology, the cost for which varies; or Perfect Backup which offers backup services from £15.00/month. If you are interested in purchasing online data recovery in case of an accidental data loss, you might want to consider Ontrack Data Recovery UK (cost varies), or the hard drive recovery hardware service from Easy Recovery UK. Backup Technology also offer "Disaster Recovery" solutions, the cost of which varies.
- Website audit software 1.12 / Response Time Software: AlertSite
- Social Networking Software: Techcrunch review
If you are looking to for IT solutions, try a service like that provided by ThinkGrid (based in Edinburgh), which will deliver functioning business IT over the internet. Rather than purchasing costly equipment and software, a service like ThinkGrid will allow your business to develop a personalised virtual desktop for each employee which they can access anywhere via the Internet.
Design Software
Free design software options available online include the very powerful and popular GIMP (The GNU Image Manipulation Program). One of GIMP's major benefits its its availability in several languages and for several different operating systems; it provides a free alternative to a program like Adobe Photoshop, allowing users to perform such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. Another alternative is Paint.net, which, while not as highly recommended, is directly based on Photoshop. It is easier to use than either Photoshop or GIMP, making it better for simple image editing and new users, and like GIMP it is completely free.
For more complex design software, you might be more interested in Blender, a free open source 3D content creation suite, available for all major operating systems that offers users a complete system for 3D, video production, compositing and rendering. Blender's features include a schematic scene diagram, generic node editing system, non-linear video sequence editing, character animation action editor, non-linear animation mixer, image/UV editing, file/image selection and file management; a built-in text editor for annotations and editing Python scripts, custom themes, and much more. [1]
A similar available program is CinePaint, a professional collection of free open source software tools for deep paint manipulation and image processing that has been used on several major films to provide frame-by-frame retouching, dirt removal, wire rig removal, render repair, background plates, and 3d model textures.[1]
If you're more interested in drawing than editing, consider a program like Inkscape, an open source vector graphics editor that offers a similar alternative to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X. "Inkscape supports many advanced SVG features (markers, clones, alpha blending, etc.) and great care is taken in designing a streamlined interface. It is very easy to edit nodes, perform complex path operations, trace bitmaps and much more."[2]
Security Software
In addition to anti-virus and anti-spyware software, there are a number of other security software options available to you, many of which are Free/Open Source Software solutions. These include Cobia Unified Network Platform – which is a free software that offers a number of services as plug-n-play modules, including routing, firewall, DHCP, and core network and security services – and Snort, an open source network intrusion prevention and detection system that claims to have become the de facto standard for the industry.
There's also OSSIM – Open Source Security Information Management – which aims to "provide a comprehensive compilation of tools which, when working together, grant a network/security administrator with detailed view over each and every aspect of his networks/hosts/physical access devices/server/etc..."[3] Or you might consider Bloxx, a company based in Livingston, Scotland that produces award winning web filtering and internet blocking tools.
Finally, there is Untangle, the Open Source Network Gatway, which provides "an integrated family of applications that help you simplify and consolidate the network and security products you need, in one place at the network gateway"[4]. These applications allow businesses to, amongst other actions, block spam, spyware, viruses, and phish, filter out inappropriate web content, control unwanted protocols like instant messaging, and provide remote access and support options to employees.
Management Software
There are several free and open source software (F/OSS) solutions are available that are designed specifically for business application, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relations Management (CRM), document management, security, data protection, and remote access software. For more information about other options, their services, and where to find them, visit FLOSSMETRICS, a wiki which offers a guide specifically designed for SME's to help them identify the Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) solutions that are available.
Enterprise Resource Planning
ERP software essentially manages and coordinates all the resources, information, and functions of your business using shared data stores. You may find it easier and more cost effective to hire an outside consultant to implement an ERP system as it is usually too complex of a job to be undertaken by yourself, however if you prefer, there are FLOSS options available such as Adempiere/Compiere, which are both among the best open source ERP projects available. They offer standard and customizable financial reports, allowing you to generate standard financial and managerial reports, as well as comprehensive financial management, customer-specified chart of accounts, accounting rule enforcement, tax calculation and external reporting, sales orders, distribution and multi-warehouse control, integrated e-commerce, costing of products and services, bill of materials, and price lists, among many other functions. [5]
Other open source ERP sofware solutions include Apache's Open for Business and OpenERP. The Apache Open for Business software offers offers a great deal of functionality, including advanced e-commerce, catalog management, promotion & pricing management, order management (sales & purchase), customer management (part of general party management), warehouse management, fulfillment (auto stock moves, batched pick, pack & ship), accounting, manufacturing management, general work effort management, content management (for product content, web sites, general content, blogging, forums, etc), and a maturing Point Of Sales (POS) module. [5]
OpenERP, on the other hand, offers several technical features such as its GTK2 client, distributed server, flexible workflows, an object database (on top of PostgreSQL), dynamic GUIs, and customizable reports. On top of this it offers over 200 modules, including accountancy modules like the management of general, analytic and auxiliary accounts; multilevel charts without limitations; management of virtual accounts; and the ability to work on several fiscal years at the same time. Its production modules include production control, production planning, efficient holding of bill of materials and range, provisions and treatment of stock exception, an integrated scheduler, management of variants and models, multiple units of measure and automatic conversions, product properties, consumption and production in several times, and production support at the producers. [5]
Customer Relations Management
Customer Relations Management software allows a company to track and organize its contacts with current and prospective customers by entering data about their customers and customer interactions which can then be stored and accessed by different departments. The goal is generally to improve customer service, to better relate the product or service to customers, and to aid in targeted marketing.
LoopFuse is an enterprise-grade marketing and sales package that allows you the ability to generate leads from your website, as well as to score and route leads. LoopFuse also offers marketing campaign capabilities, full web analytics support, and full CRM integration with most major vendors, as well as the capability to measure ROI within marketing and sales department initiatives. Their web analytics component allows you to better tune your websites to increase message response with accurate statistics, and their marketing campaign manager gives you complete control over email marketing, internet marketing, and traditional/print marketing.[6]
Other options include SugarCRM and vTiger. SugarCRM is the most widely used open source CRM system, and therefore it is backed by a strong developer community and a large number of ancillary projects hosted in the SugarForce, the development site managed by the main developers. The features that it offers include account, contact, opportunity and lead management, sales activity management, case management and bug tracking, a customisable user interface, and a dashboard providing a single-view of the important statistics about sales performance.[6]
vTiger offers lead and opportunity management, activity and reporting subsystems, easy product customization, campaign management, and, like SugarCRM, a dashboard feature. Furthermore, vTiger can integrate with Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird; it also integrates inventory management functions – such as products, price books, vendors, sales quotes, purchase orders, sales orders, and invoices – with CRM modules, such as leads, accounts & contacts, and opportunities. By using vTiger CRM, you should be able to achieve a relatively seamless integration between pre-sales and post-sales activities in a single application. [6]
Accountancy
GnuCash, which is specifically designed to be easy to use while at the same time powerful and flexible. GnuCash allows you to track bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses, and also features double-entry accounting, stock/bond/mutual fund accounts, small-business accounting, QIF/OFX/HBCI importing, transaction matching, report and graphing capabilities, and financial calculations. It also claims to be based on professional accounting principles to ensure balanced books and accurate reports.
Review Sites
For help finding which websites provide reliable and safe online services, keep an eye on independent technology review websites, like PCWorld, CNet, and Firewall Guide. They can provide insight into the very wide, wide world of internet services with less of a bias than some review websites that are not independent.
For more information on specific software packages available to help you run your business venture see:
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 FlossMetrics, Graphics Video and CAD - SME Guide, Free/Libre Open Source Software Metrics [1]
- ↑ Inkscape, About Inkscape [2]
- ↑ OSSIM Open Source Security Information Management [3]
- ↑ FlossMetrics, Security - SME Guide, Free/Libre Open Source Software Metrics [4]
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 FlossMetrics, "ERP - SME Guide," Free/Libre Open Source Software Metrics [5]
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 FlossMetrics, "CRM - SME Guide," Free/Libre Open Source Software Metrics [6]
