Open-source ERP application vendor Openbravo unveiled a new release of its flagship software this week, offering a more modular system the company said is easier to implement than traditional ERP systems and is more adaptable to changing business conditions.
Openbravo, which has a significant presence in its native Europe, reported that deployments of its ERP application suite in North America grew by 110 percent in 2010 and recently moved its global headquarters to San Francisco.
"We have gotten a lot of traction in North America," said CEO Paolo Juvara, in a phone interview, noting that there are some 2,800 active Openbravo deployments in North America.
Openbravo 3 is available now as a free, community edition and a professional edition with more advanced functionality, additional modules and customer support. The professional edition is sold exclusively through the channel.
"We expect Openbravo 3 to provide tremendous appeal to [our] installed user base and new businesses alike," said Eric Kraieski, vice president of enterprise applications and marketing Openbravo partner Transitional Data Services.
"Agile ERP" is the overall theme of Openbravo 3, Juvara said, in that the emphasis of the new release is on ease-of-implementation and the ability to add functionality through 275 commercial and open-source add-on modules as business needs evolve. Juvara said the core Openbravo 3 can be installed in as little as two weeks.
"The current state of ERP alienates hundreds of thousands of small companies that can help revive the global economy, but are struggling with software that's too rigid and expensive for their needs," Juvara said. Openbravo's target market is SMBs with between 20 and 500 employees and $5 million to $200 million in revenue, although the company does have some bigger businesses among its customer base.
The new release also sports a number of user interface enhancements, including new dashboards that can be tailored to individuals or specific roles, a multi-tab user interface and the ability for users to work on specific transactions processed by the ERP system.
