ERP Software

Source ERP Software

There is an argument within the ERP software community between which is better: commercial software, which is owned and sold for profit by a central vendor; or open source ERP Software, which refers to ERP software systems that have been developed as a public collaboration and then made available. This particular source of ERP software is free, as are the underlying source codes, allowing a customer to use it, modify it, and redistribute it as they see fit.

Since the advent of enterprise resource planning (usually termed ERP) in the late 1990s as a natural development of Manufacturing Resource Planning, businesses wanting to implement ERP software have had two choices. The most obvious one was to purchase pre-packaged, one size fits all, commercial application ERP software from a qualified vendor.  The other was to build a software solution from scratch having the company’s IT department customize it.

Open source ERP systems now provide a third alternative and Open source advocates argue that the collaborative development by global communities with shared interests is a superior method for ERP software than the other two. Everyone does not agree, however. Critics of Open Source ERP maintain there is a danger that open source licenses are viral or perhaps are full of inherent intellectual property violations. Other critics still argue that open source ERP software is fine for platform software components such as operating systems, tools, and databases, -it has not yet proven itself at the level of business applications.

The argument rages on and meanwhile, Open Source is making great entries into the ERP market. A few years ago, ERPSoftware 360 reviewed various open source ERP software and found that OpenMFG by xTuple is the most functional open source manufacturing system for small companies. For businesses located in the mid-range, ERP5 came up as a top solution. This software provides the basic ERP mainstays along with extensive depth and functionality.

Additionally, ERP5 provides a wide range of vertical market solutions, for example: aerospace, apparel, health care, and government agencies. For the large to very large businesses, OpenPro is considered best.  This ERP contains an extremely powerful collection of accounting software, manufacturing software, distribution and supply chain software, retail POS software, CRM software, human resources and payroll software, e-commerce, and fixed asset management. In addition, OpenPro is known for its vertical market solutions for not-for-profit, public sector, professional services management, and medical management.

Written by :

Amy Cruz