Some business tools
My favorite open-source business tools (or cheap proprietary SaaS) :
- Project management,
- ERP/CRM (Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3),
- Small business financial accounting,
- EDMS/ECM,
- Cloud apps,
- Self-hosted groupware alternatives,
- Active Directory alternatives.
Hints :
- Favor multiple collaboration tools with API and OAuth / Open ID integration, to limit lock-in.
- ERP - CRM solutions are strongly subject to vendor lock-in so plan carefully.
Project Management
SaaS or self-hosted on-premise
Trusted by 11,000+ businesses, JIRA is the leading bug tracking, issue tracking and project management tool. JIRA combines issue tracking, agile project management, customisable workflow, and a pluggable integration framework to increase the velocity of your software development team.
Taiga is a full-featured project management platform for startups and agile developers & designers who want a simple, beautiful tool that makes work truly enjoyable.
Taiga is available in tree versions :
• Open Source • SaaS • Managed
Cost :
• Open Source is fully free. But requires skills to self-managed it. • SaaS is free for up to 15 users and 5 private projects. Or Premium $5 to $7/mo per user, unlimited projects. • Managed cost is communicated by their sales team
Features :
• Planning. Choose between Kanban or Scrum. • Tickets/Issues • Easy to use • Intuitive user interface • Team interaction • Dashboard/Reporting • Timetracking. Using either a custom field or integration with Toggl. • Self hosted, SaaS, or Managed • Multilingual. More than 20 languages. • Customization. Fields, tags, stages, colors, close definition • Import from GitHub, Jira, Trello • Integration with 3rd party software. Such as, but not limited to, Bitbucket, GitLab, GitHub, Gogs, Slack, Webhooks.
Contribute :
• Backend at https://github.com/kaleidos-ventures/taiga-back • Frontend at https://github.com/taigaio/taiga-front
License :
• Backend is GPL-3.0 (GNU Affero General Public License v3.0) at https://github.com/taigaio/taiga-back/blob/master/LICENSE • Frontend is GPL-3.0 (GNU Affero General Public License v3.0) at https://github.com/taigaio/taiga-front/blob/master/LICENSE
Bugzilla is a robust, featureful and mature defect-tracking system, or bug-tracking system. Defect-tracking systems allow teams of developers to keep track of outstanding bugs, problems, issues, enhancement and other change requests in their products effectively. Simple defect-tracking capabilities are often built into integrated source code management environments such as Github or other web-based or locally-installed equivalents. We find organizations turning to Bugzilla when they outgrow the capabilities of those systems - for example, because they want workflow management, or bug visibility control (security), or custom fields.
Bugzilla is both free as in freedom and free as in price. Most commercial defect-tracking software vendors charge enormous licensing fees. Despite being free, Bugzilla has many features which are lacking in both its expensive and its free counterparts. Consequently, Bugzilla is used by hundreds or thousands of organizations across the globe.
Bugzilla is a web-based system but needs to be installed on your server for you to use it. However, installation is not complex.
Trac is an enhanced wiki and issue tracking system for software development projects. Trac uses a minimalistic approach to web-based software project management. Our mission is to help developers write great software while staying out of the way. Trac should impose as little as possible on a teams established development process and policies.
Redmine is a flexible project management web application. Written using Ruby on Rails framework, it is cross-platform and cross-database.
It integrates with a number of different SCM:s including Subversion and Git. It has multi language support and can be extended with the help of plugins.
Redmine is licensed under GNU GPL.
ERP/CRM - Tier 1
Apache OFBiz (The Apache Open For Business Project) is an open source enterprise automation software project licensed under the Apache License Version 2.0. By open source enterprise automation we mean: Open Source ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), Open Source CRM (Customer RelationShip Management), Open Source E-Business / E-Commerce, Open Source SCM (Supply Chain Management), Open Source MRP (Manufacturing Resources Planning), Open Source CMMS/EAM (Maintenance Management System/Enterprise Asset Management), Open Source POS (Point Of Sale), and so on.
Apache OFBiz is a foundation and starting point for reliable, secure and scalable enterprise solutions. Use it out-of-the-box (OOTB) or customize to suit even your most challenging business needs. With OFBiz in place, you can get started right away and then grow your operations as your business grows, without the huge deployment and maintenance costs of traditional enterprise automation systems.
Apache OFBiz is a project of The Apache Software Foundation.
Being open source under the Apache 2.0 license and driven by a community Apache OFBiz offers both flexibility by design and by access to code, and a solution where you're not alone but rather can work with many others to get things done.
ERP/CRM - Tier 2
iDempiere Business Suite, also known as OSGi + ADempiere, is an open source Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. It has also customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain management (SCM) functions. It is in contrast to proprietary or most other open source ERP solutions driven only by a community of supporters.
iDempiere is a winner of Infoworld's Bossie award for best open source software application, awarded in 2015.
Dolibarr ERP & CRM is a modern and easy to use open-source web software package to manage your business (customers, invoices, orders, products, stocks, agenda, e-mailings, shipments...).
It's open source and free software designed for companies (SME), foundations and freelances.
You can install and use it as a standalone application, or online on a shared or dedicated server to use it from anywhere. Working on all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Mobile), Dolibarr system is also available as SaaS application on ready to use Cloud services.
Features:
• CRM & Sales: ___• Prospects / Customers ___• Opportunities ___• Proposals ___• Sale Orders ___• Contracts / Subscriptions ___• Help Desk / Tickets
• CMS, Website, POS: ___• CMS / Website ___• Point Of Sale
• Finance & Billing: ___• Billing & Payments ___• Bank reconciliation ___• Double entry accounting
• Productivity: ___• Projects, Tasks ___• Interventions ___• Agenda
• Human Relationship Management (HR): ___• Employees ___• Expense Reports ___• Leave Requests ___• Timesheets ___• Recruitment ___• Membership
• Product & Stock: ___• Products, Services ___• Stocks ___• Purchase, Approvisionning ___• Shipments ___• Manufacturing
• Marketing: ___• Emailing ___• Surveys
• Integration, Development: ___• API ___• Connectivity with external tools ___• Import, Export ___• Module Builder for developers
• Other features ___• Multilingual. 100 languages at https://explore.transifex.com/dolibarr-association/dolibarr/ ___• Desktop or Mobile Apps ___• Modules/Plugins ___• On premise or SaaS at https://www.dolibarr.org/onlinedemo.php
Try Dolibarr demos now at https://www.dolibarr.org/onlinedemo.php
ERP/CRM - Tier 3
Odoo (formerly OpenERP) is a suite of open-source business apps written in Python and distributed under the AGPL license, under the Open Core software business model. It is used by 2 million users worldwide to manage companies of all size. The main Odoo components are the server, 260 core modules (also called official modules) and around 4000 community modules.
Odoo is the only business software that provide full integrated solution from the front office to the back office. Instead of using different software following their needs, the companies can use Odoo for all their needs and spare huge cost on the synchronization of database.
FEATURES:
Enterprise resource planning Customer relationship management Point of sale Website builder E-Commerce Project Management Billing Accounting Human resource management Warehouse Management Events management Manufacturing management Purchase management Lead automation Survey tools Mass mailing tool Recruitment management Expenses management Fleet management
Small business financial accounting
Suitable to personal and SOHO financial accounting
GnuCash is personal and small-business financial-accounting software, freely licensed under the GNU GPL and available for GNU/Linux, BSD, Solaris, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows.
Designed to be easy to use, yet powerful and flexible, GnuCash allows you to track bank accounts, stocks, income and expenses. As quick and intuitive to use as a checkbook register, it is based on professional accounting principles to ensure balanced books and accurate reports.
Main features
- Double Entry
- Checkbook-Style Register
- Scheduled Transactions
- Reports, Graphs
- Statement Reconciliation
- Income/Expense Account Types
Advanced features
- Small Business Accounting Features
- Multiple Currencies
- Stock/Mutual Fund Portfolios
- Online Stock & Mutual Fund Quotes
Data storage and exchange features
- Experimental database support
- QIF and OFX Import
- HBCI Support
Other goodies
- Multiplatform
- Localization
- Transaction Finder
- Check Printing
- Mortgage & Loan Repayment Assistant
- User Manual and Help
EDMS/ECM
Document management systems, content management
Document management without the headaches.
Automated OCR of documents, automatic categorization, flexible metadata, extensive access control, Mayan EDMS has all this to offers and many more features to help you tame your documents.
Alfresco is the leading open source enterprise content management system built by the most experienced team in the industry drawn from Documentum®, Vignette® and Interwoven®. Twenty years of experience drove us to believe that the Enterprise Content Management industry was driven by:
- High Cost — Application driven purchases with a high up-front investment and per user pricing
- High Complexity — Long rollout cycles and complexity resulting in software either not being implemented or used
- Lack of Customer Control — Proprietary control preventing choice and ability to switch to other vendors For these reasons the vast majority of people do not use ECM systems but instead work with shared drives and email to create, share and store content.
Cloud apps
Google Workspace (formerly Google Apps for Work / G Suite) is Google's encompassing selection of cloud apps for business, including customizable products under custom domain names. It features traditional office tools through Google Docs as well as communication and time management tools such as Hangouts and Google Calendar.
APPS INCLUDE:
For Communication: Gmail Hangouts Google Calendar
For Storage: Google Drive
For Collaboration: Google Docs Google Sheets Google Forms Google Slides Classic Google Sites
Self-hosted groupware alternatives
You should have full control over your data. We help you achieve that: a safe home for all your data. Secure, under your control and developed in an open, transparent and trustworthy way. We are Nextcloud.
Nextcloud offers industry-leading on-premises file sync and online collaboration technology. Our expertise is in combining the convenience and ease of use of consumer-grade solutions like Dropbox and Google Drive with the security, privacy and control business needs.
Our self-hosted solutions ensure you know where data is, who has access, and that even meta-data does not leak.
We create three products, integrated and acting as one:
Nextcloud Files offers an on-premise Universal File Access and sync platform with powerful collaboration capabilities and desktop, mobile and web interfaces.
Nextcloud Talk delivers on-premises, private audio/video conferencing and text chat through browser and mobile interfaces with integrated screen sharing and SIP integration.
Nextcloud Groupware integrates Calendar, Contacts, Mail and other productivity features to help teams get their work done faster and easier.
Our products integrate powerful capabilities to control and monitor data exchange and communication, including our unique File Access Control and workflow features, extensive audit logs, fine-grained sharing controls and more.
Security is Nextcloud users' greatest concerns and our prime advantage over competitors. Nextcloud features a host of unique, innovative security technologies from brute force protection to advanced server side and integrated end-to-end, client side encryption with enterprise-grade key handling and a wide range of security hardenings. Our security has been reviewed by trusted third parties and is backed by a USD 5000 Security Bug Bounty Program, providing the confidence that data meant to stay private will stay private.
Store your private pictures, documents, calendar and contacts on your ownCloud server at home, a rented VPS or use one of the public ownCloud providers. Access your existing data on an FTP drive at work, images shared with you on Dropbox, or your NAS at home--all through your ownCloud server.Run your ownCloud server in a place you trust and access all the data you care about in one place!
Your data is where you are! When traveling, access ownCloud through your Android or iOS devices. Automatically upload pictures after taking them. Sync files at home or work with the desktop client keeping one or more local folders synchronized between devices. And wherever you are, the web interface lets you view, share and edit your files alone or with others. Wherever you are, your data is with you thanks to ownCloud!
Share with anybody on your terms! Send password protected public links so others can upload files to you; get notified on your phone when you get a share from your own or another ownCloud server. Edit documents together, have video calls over your own server, comment on pictures shared with or by you. Don't be alone!
ownCloud offers an easy user interface with search, favorites, tags and other ways to quickly get at your files. File editing and preview support for PDF, images, text files, Open Document, Word files and more. Integration of anti-virus scanning functionality with the anti-virus app. LDAP / Active Directory integration Advanced quota management with configurable accounting of external storage. Sharing REST API. Control sharing from mobile apps and desktop clients Easy development of 3rd party apps with the share REST API. Quick access to core functions for app development with the powerful ownCloud App API and webhooks following the publication / subscription model.
Active Directory alternatives
JumpCloud, the first Directory-as-a-Service (DaaS), is Active Directory and LDAP reimagined. JumpCloud securely manages and connects employee identities to IT resources including devices, applications, storage file servers and networks. JumpCloud is a central source of authentication, authorization, and management of employees and all to which they require access. It is your only next gen directory services. Cloud-based alternative to Microsoft Active Directory or LDAP.
Zentyal is a native Microsoft Active Directory implementation on Linux incorporating all the network services required in a small and medium business environment: Directory & Domain Server, Mail Server, Gateway and Infrastructure Server.
Univention Corporate Server is a pre-configured platform to operate and manage server applications and complete IT infrastructures free of charge. It is optimal to provide Microsoft Server-like services on the cloud or on premises, to run and operate corporate IT environments with Windows-, Mac-, and Linux-based clients and extend those with proven enterprise software, also on the cloud or on premises.
Main features: Active Directory-like domain services compatible with Microsoft Active Directory; a mature and easy-to-use web-based management system for central user, groups, rights and infrastructure management; a scalable underlying concept suited for single server scenarios up to the management of 1000s of clients and servers for 1000s of users within one single UCS domain; an app center with single-click installation and integration of many business applications from 3rd parties and Univention; management capabilities to manage Linux- and UNIX-based clients; command line, scripting interfaces and APIs for automatization and extension.
The complete source code of UCS is provided under an Open Source license. The software is tried-and-tested and regularly updated. UCS is free of charge as a Core Edition without functional limitations. Companies preferring guaranteed, professional support can subscribe to maintenance services for UCS.
Further features: An integrated IP management (DNS, WINS, DHCP), file, printer + desktop management, Ubuntu Domain Join Assistant, AD Takeover allows the migration of a Microsoft AD to UCS via Samba. AD Connection either integrates UCS in an AD domain or allows automatic sync of the AD and UCS. The App Center provides further UCS components and numerous Open Source products from 3rd parties such as ownCloud, Nextcloud, Kopano etc., many of them Docker-based and integrated in UCS' central identity management. Hybrid cloud management for OpenStack and Amazon EC2; based on Debian “Buster” and Python 3; Single Sign-on; system monitoring
SambaBox is an enterprise directory appliance with Web based management interface. SambaBox also offers integrated domain name (DNS), dynamic computer configuration (DHCP), certificate authority (CA) and orchestration server (Salt) built on the Linux operating system.
SambaBox has WEB based GPO editor. You don’t need to use RSAT anymore. Also supports Senstive Password Policy..
SambaBox is based on open source samba project with more patches for stability and seamless compatibility on Windows AD environments.
SambaBox does not need to connect internet to support secure network environments. All updates can be done offline.
SambaBox is widely using in governmental organizations and enterprise companies.
FreeIPA is an integrated Identity and Authentication solution for Linux/UNIX networked environments. A FreeIPA server provides centralized authentication, authorization and account information by storing data about user, groups, hosts and other objects necessary to manage the security aspects of a network of computers.
FreeIPA is built on top of well known Open Source components and standard protocols with a very strong focus on ease of management and automation of installation and configuration tasks.
Samba is the standard Windows interoperability suite of programs for Linux and Unix. Since 1992, Samba has provided secure, stable and fast file and print services for all clients using the SMB/CIFS protocol, such as all versions of DOS and Windows, OS/2, Linux and many others. Samba is an important component to seamlessly integrate Linux/Unix Servers and Desktops into Active Directory environments using the winbind daemon.
OpenLDAP Software is an open source implementation of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. The suite includes: slapd - stand-alone LDAP daemon (server) libraries implementing the LDAP protocol, and utilities, tools, and sample clients. Also available from the OpenLDAP Project: Fortress - Role-based identity access management Java SDK JLDAP - LDAP Class Libraries for Java JDBC-LDAP - Java JDBC - LDAP Bridge Driver
