Resource Review #4: SugarCRM Community Edition

http://www.sugarcrm.com/crm/community/sugarcrm-community.html

What: The free, open source edition of SugarCRM

Why: The majority of CRM is prohibitively expensive for libraries.

Summary: If you would like to see the visuals of the things I'm talking about, check out Sugar's demo page.

To use the community edition, you also need PHP, a webserver, and a database. There are stack editions available on the download page that include these along with the software. The stacks are available for Windows, Macs, Linux, and Sun; there are also roughly 100 language packs. There is some overlap: there are not hundred languages available, although many major languages are represented. Also included are regional dialects, i.e. Latin American Spanish.

All the default language is geared towards a business, as this is what the software is intended for. The semantics differ somewhat in libraries and all the categories available would not be applicable in our field. There is fairly complete software and could be intimidating to people will low tech skills. SugarCRM isn't difficult, but it's not a training-wheels sort of program either. As it is open source, the code can be edited to suit the users' needs. The catch here is that if you're not a programmer, or don't have someone on your staff with these skills, this is a moot point.

Since it's free, you're on your own as far as tech support goes, but there is a wiki and a forum; the community seems fairly active. SugarCRM has free training seminars available under their Sugar University page as well. There are also certified extensions available for purchase if you want to tweak the software.

Software Evaluation: I downloaded this and played around with it. I am neither a technophile nor a technophobe: I tend towards the former at least in that I actively seek out knowledge, although I am not a technology cheerleader.

I found the software relatively easy to set-up: I didn't necessarily understand the nuts and bolts of everything involved, but I was still able to get it up and running just the same. I was able to easily resolve the problems I had (all of which were minor) on my own.

Conclusion: Not my favorite CRM, but it's free, which puts it in the affordability range of libraries, who typically are not gifted with large budgets, and if you or one of your staff has the skills and the time, you can customize the software to suit your needs. Even if this is not an option, it is still entirely usable for a library. I'd give this a B overall.