Open Source SugarCRM Goes Mobile

SugarCRM has released the beta version of Sugar 5.5, which adds mobile tools and dynamic team management and integration offerings to the open-source Sugar Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

The beta release includes a “new Web services framework, platform improvements and enhanced mobile features for SugarCRM,” according to the company. “All of these new capabilities will be available as part of the Sugar Open Cloud, and are available to the Sugar CRM community to test in beta.”

The new features include Mobile Studio Editor, which optimizes Sugar CRM for mobile devices with pre-built layouts, and allows the design of purpose-built mobile views into the SugarCRM system. Another feature, Dynamic Teams, lets users boost their collaborative strength by adding multiple individuals or teams into the CRM record.

The beta release also offers an Enhanced Web Services Framework, which “streamlines the performance of web service calls and allows third-party developers to more easily create and maintain integrations to the SugarCRM application.” Other additions for presenting data include a Themes Framework, for presenting different styles, colors and navigation to users.

On the security side, Advanced Password Management lets users set password strength requirements, have the system generate passwords, and exert other granular controls.

SugarCRM finds itself competing in the customer-relationship space against companies such as Salesforce.com, which has recently expanded its enterprise offerings with Twitter, Google search, Facebook connections, and online communities into its cloud-based customer service channel.

In 2008, the then-CEO of SugarCRM, John Roberts, suggested in an interview with eWeek that “commercial open source is ready for prime time,” and that the era of open-source applications had well and truly arrived.