Free Open Source Software (FOSS): Compiere

A High Level Overview of Compiere, Inc.

Open Source Software

Reasons for using Open Source Software (source: Gartner, Survey, November 2008):

• Lower total cost of ownership (TCO)
• Reduction in development cost
• Easier to embark on new IT projects or software initiatives
• Protection against a single vendor "owning" the entire IT department
• Faster time to market
• Avoid complex procurement rules and procedures

Compiere Open Source Software

The third installment of Free Open Source Software (FOSS), is a high level overview of Compiere, Inc., Open Source ERP & CRM.

Visit Compiere's Vendor Showcase for more information on Compiere and its products.

Compiere, Inc. is the lead developer of the Compiere product, and is solely funded by providing support and services for Compiere. As a professional open source ERP & CRM company, Compiere Inc. concentrates on providing back-office services to its partners and the users of Compiere. The company's first in-production installation took place in 2000. Compiere Inc. is a private company based in Monroe, Connecticut.

Compiere Open Source ERP CRM

Compiere Open Source ERP & CRM is a complete business solution for small-to-medium enterprises worldwide, particularly those in the service and distribution industry, both retail and wholesale. Compiere Open Source ERP & CRM has an integrated Web Store, covering material management, purchasing sales, accounting, and customer relations management.

Founded in 1999, Compiere, Inc., award winning software has been downloaded over 1.4 million times and deployed by companies of all sizes, worldwide. Compiere provides a comprehensive and adaptable web based business solution available on a low cost, open source ERP & CRM platform. Compiere's solutions in such industries as distribution, manufacturing, retail, health care and professional services, enables companies to improve productivity, lower costs, and improve customer service. Compiere offers commercial backing, support and services to its global network of authorized partners in more than 35 countries.

Compiere, Inc, with its core value system clearly focused on openness, has created products and business values around open standards, open architecture and open source ERP & CRM. Their open source ERP & CRM software solutions drive financial, distribution, sales and service processes. Traditional ERP solutions require clients to change their business to match their software design, while Compiere can quickly, easily and affordably customize the system to match their clients business and typically without programming.

Its ERP capabilities include: global financial management, purchasing, materials management, order management, manufacturing and warehouse management. CRM capabilities utilize customer information for automating sales and service processes. Compiere includes a web store and a point-of-sale interface. Compiere platform is both global-ready and enterprise-ready, which provides future growth for a clients ERP system.

Compiere applications are highly adaptable and easily customized without programming, a first, they say, in the ERP industry. This permits rapid customization at much less expense and risk.

Compiere Open Source Business Software

Customized Compiere solutions may be automatically upgraded to latest Compiere software releases. Compiere Automated Upgrade Technology upgrades their clients base Compiere software to include the latest functionality.

Modern, Web-based Technology. Compiere Professional Edition uses the latest generation of Rich Internet Applications (RIA) technology for a productive, personalized and highly interactive user experience.

Users may access Compiere from web-browsers including Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. One does not need to install and maintain client application software across all a clients computers. Authorized users securely access important business information from any web-enabled desktop, from anywhere in the world.

The fact there are no upfront license fees reduces the financial risk commonly associated with ERP implementations.

Compiere Open Source Software Benefits

Compiere open source ERP & CRM benefits include:

IT Benefits

• Lower implementation and customization costs
• Lower operating system, database and hardware costs
• Lower costs associated with upgrading to new software releases
• Easier access to technical staff with relevant skills

Business Benefits

• Ability to quickly adapt to new business requirements without programming
• Streamlined business processes
• Improved customer service and responsiveness
• Improved integration between departments and divisions
• Better information and business visibility

Compiere Commercial Open Source Business Model

Compiere delivers DYNAMIC Applications through a commercial open source business model, thereby delivering significant business value at a greatly reduced cost compared to proprietary software vendors.

Compiere's open architecture and adherence to open standards allows clients to choose from a variety of supported computer hardware, operating systems, databases and web browsers. Clients may license Compiere under either an open source license or a standard commercial license. Because there are no upfront license fees and only an annual subscription Compiere must, to retain clients, provide product improvements and technical support. Compiere customers control their business solutions and have access to the global Compiere Partner Network. Compiere Partners are trained, certified and supported by Compiere.

The Compiere Partner Network includes Value-Added Resellers (VARs), System Integrators and Technology companies.

Compiere is fully internationalized, supporting operation in multi-lingual environments and enforces their customers business rules and practices.

Larger companies sometimes choose to self-implement. Choice is a Compiere tenet.

Compiere Open Source Software Management

A business selecting an ERP solution must consider what impact an acquisition, locally or overseas, will have on its ERP system. Compiere says their customers ERP system will grow with them. Should a corporate merger or divestiture occur, Compiere is able to simulate and implement corporate reorganizations without disruption to the business.

Compiere financial management includes: accounting rule enforcement; General Ledger; Accounts Receivable; and Accounts Payable; tax calculation and external reporting; banking management; financial reporting.

Compiere offers a multi-company financial accounting solution with support for parallel accounting standards. Compiere automates all financial, distribution, manufacturing, sales and service processes, thus unifying all enterprise data in single repository. Customized deployment provides reliable information for accurate financial reporting and informed decision-making. Compiere strictly enforces base accounting rules, ensuring balanced accounting entries and overall system integrity.

Order Management is integrated with Materials Management and management of Business Partners (Customers). Quotations; Sales; Orders; Shipments; Customer Returns; Sales Invoices; and Receipts more are addressed with Compiere.

Material Management delivers a broad range of inventory capabilities, including Product; Product Catalog; Price Lists; Multi-Warehouse Control; Material Receipts and Replenishment.

Purchasing functionality is seamlessly integrated with Materials Management and covers, Purchase Orders (PO); Material Receipts; Return to Vendor; Vendor Invoices; Payments, with Compiere.

Manufacturing capabilities include: Bill of Materials (BoM); Work Orders (WO); and Costing, with Compiere.

Compiere complimentary capabilities include: a Web Store may be deployed with direct integration to a Compiere customers ERP solution Service focuses on managing service request activities to business partners and products; all requirements of Assets.

Compiere offers these four types of internal reports:

• List Reports
• Forms
• Financial Reports
• Statement of Accounts

The user-selected language drives the language used in presenting the report. Compiere has Archival capabilities, available for all standard reports.

Other notable Compiere capabilities include: Business View Layer; Reporting & Data Security; and the Performance Dashboard.

Compiere Dynamic Application Platform is highly adaptable and easily customized without programming. The DYNAMIC Applications for Financial Management, Order Management, Materials Management, Purchasing, Manufacturing, Warehouse Management and others are developed and supported by Compiere. These applications are available to be customized and extended.

Compiere's Open Source Software Code

Compiere provides a complete application-level security infrastructure, supporting role-based security, data security, data encryption and auditing.

Being an open source ERP & CRM product, Compiere's software source code is available to their clients and to the open source community. With Compiere's open architecture and fidelity to open standards, there are many choices available. Their clients have the ability to add new features and extend Compiere to meet any future changes to their clients business.

Compiere's open source ERP & CRM alternative provides freedom from vendor lock-in, giving their client more control over their ERP software future.

Compiere's solution is an interactive web-based user experience with secure access from any browser. Through Compiere's service-oriented architecture (SOA) and web services, integration with other applications is easy. The scalable and adaptable Compiere platform works with high volumes and business complexity of any sized company.

On August 12, 2009 Compiere, Inc, announced its launch of Compiere Exchange, a hub for easy access to and sharing of extensions built and supported by Compiere Authorized Partners.

More complete information about Compiere and its solutions may be found in the white paper, Compiere Professional Edition Capabilities Overview, on the Compiere website www.compiere.com

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