Openbravo Network and 5 Needs for the End User

When the 451 group blogged about Openbravo Network last October, they marked it as a relevant example of open source aiming to enter "markets that were previously seen as locked-down by dominant vendors." They also noted a gap in "the mid-market space [that] has been under-served by the industry giants that dominate the ERP space." This first point reminded me of my friend who said he did not know anything about "open source" then opened his Mozilla browser to look it up.

But the second point reminded me of the question being asked with open source solutions: how can we market our solution to end users accustomed to proprietary software? With Openbravo Network, we are attempting to answer this question by offering an optimized solution customizable to their needs, charging a reasonable price, and we then package it with peace of mind.

In 2005, Networkworld discussed key success factors for software appliances. Looking at these criteria, Openbravo Network covers every single area:

• Pricing: Pay as you go leasing
• Modular Design: Pick and choosing desired functionalities.
• Using Standards: Support well accepted standards that are easy to deploy, without needs to integrate required stack.
• Easy Management: Updates, remote repairs, self managed by internal system administrator or partner.
• Security: Build on "a hardened operating system and application stack that supports only the features and functions necessary for the appliance."
  

But whether because we are an open source project, or the above list was not meant for them, it is useful to think about what else the end user will be looking for. In addition to a reasonable price, the needs and pitch must run a bit differently.

1. Achieve Optimal Performance: Access to customize the solution and modules to specific needs. As well the solution is installed to work fastest, right out of the box, no testing required.
2. Maintain Optimal Performance: Quality control verified by Openbravo, with updates and monitoring available
3. Warranties and Certifications: The entire solution is backed by Openbravo (stack and ERP) and 1 month "fit for purpose" warranty
4. Technical Support: Question and improvements can be handled directly by Openbravo, either on site or remotely
5. Product Ownership: Product is owned upon purchase. Should users discontinue subscription, the system administration console and ERP is still owned forever. The support is pay as you go, not the solution.

For a developer or partner who can invest time, Openbravo ERP Community Edition comes with exactly the same functionalities as the ERP Network Edition. For the enterprise and partner with the ability to invest money, Network Edition = ERP Community Edition and more - an optimized solution, guaranteed, and with the best available support - they will also be receiving peace of mind.

The thinking behind Openbravo Network will allow the solution to succeed in the same way Mozilla did, because my buddy looks at it as a great solution, open source or not. People will like this product...and I think another slightly larger ERP company did too. Right before CeBIT Hannover 2008, they launched their own software appliance. Maybe they are proving that there may be room in the software appliance ERP world for large unflexible solutions from once dominant players after all?

Openbravo at CeBIT 2008, Hannover

Lluis Llavina (Channel Management Director), Ivo Oltman (Channel Manager), Vanessa O'Bree (Marketing and Communications Assistant), and I are currently at the CeBIT from March 4 - 9. We are meeting potential system integrators, end clients, and companies with joint interests in collaboration. To this point, the week has been marked by attempting to meet two central themes: answering questions from knowledgeable attendees and meeting the demands of "higher-than-ever" interest.

As with our previous fairs, a vast number of people come to our booth each day potentially knowing the name Openbravo. However, I've been particularly intrigued by the amount of people at this fair who had planned to visit us and arrived with a specific list of questions. Related to the ERP, whereas in the past, we've used quick demos to give people a flavor of the product, many people see demos and interact with us having downloaded the product, having read the wiki, or having at least seen the website. While demos usually run less than 4 minutes, at least 5-7 each day have gone 10 - 15 minutes. In most of these cases, our wiki documentation is used to help guide attendees to specific answers.

Product demos are just one small part of the process, and interest has been gauged in other areas. We've seen how Ivo can build confidence with potential partners talking about the value proposition and Openbravo Network. Yesterday, Vanessa ran out to print out more brochures as our 1500 sheet supply is running short after only 3 days. And on Saturday Lluis will spend 9 hours having over 20 interviews with media/meeting with potential partners. We feel the interest is high, and are looking forward to the collaborations that come about because of this interest.

Until now at these fairs, people seemed to check up on the stability and quality of our product, leading them to ask and take note of the executive team behind Openbravo. During this fair I also noticed the following comments specifically related to certain product areas:

• Having three types of production and a true POS offer makes system integrators see more potential market.
• Product speed is faster than expected for a web server, and doesn't show much different compared against clients.
• The Ajax technology is easily noticeable where used
• Through Field Links (in blue) and the Linked Items feature, people enjoying the free flowing movement.

What's needed, based on seeing the product demo:

• Meeting people from Bulgaria, Malaysia, Nigeria, etc., localization was the major request
• Integration with other complementary solutions like CRM, web stores, and other solutions.
• A favorites menu would be fun so people can leave their commonly used windows in one place. For now, being able to drag and drop the menu is enough of a work around.

Things are going extremely well here, and it's a fun challenge to trying to maintain the rhythm meeting attendees over 6 days, 9 hours each day. It's obvious we're enjoying the how things are going, and looking forward to attacking the weekend.

Community Fun with Openbravo Wiki

Watching the Wiki evolve over the past year has been something special to watch. Openbravo is young, but with support like what we have received, life is rapidly improving. Over the last few months, I have particularly enjoyed watching take the community take the first steps toward building The Little Setup Guide, something Jordi briefly discussed about a month ago.

From the site, “This Setup Guide will guide you through your first Open¬bravo setup. After reading this how to you should be able to use Openbravo for "working" purposes.” Basically the goal is to one day be able to read this and get underway quickly. I like this guide idea because it’s about helping to get as many people started and working with Openbravo as possible. It’s about the community getting the community off and running.

Current Contents (available in English, Spanish, and German):

• Logging In
• Changing the following: Roles, Languages, and Menu
  
• Entering Data such as: New Clients, Users, Business Partners, Products, Prices, Taxes, and Financial Data (list not exhaustive)
  
• Procedures related to: Warehouse, Sales, and Procurement Management.

Note: Right now the document is incomplete with missing information and step by step procedures that have not been tested or are known to be incomplete. However, seeing the community get this started and working to improve it, we can see that this will change as the document develops, thus creating a strong document in time.

Openbravo Get Together - Blogging After the First Session

As I'm sure most of you know, this weekend is Openbravo's 1st Annual Get Together. We just finished the morning session, and Rok Lenardic and I went for lunch. There, we wound up talking about the opening presentation of Matt Asay, the VP Business Development at Alfresco.

Now with any presentation, the 5 points you want your audience to remember do not always match up with the 5 points that they do remember. That is our disclaimer (partially for Matt), because Rok and I wound up talking about two specific things Matt said.

1. The upside down triangle: The traditional software model is the right side up triangle such that you develop a product, close it, and then hope you can get customers, making money in the process. This differs from open source model that resembles the upside down triangle. Develop a product, get people to use it and let the community guide you towards a better solution. As Matt put it: "What we want first is a lot of users, then monetize on the services." The result is a product that people want (Rok's favourite quote from Paul Graham).

2. A subtle value of open source for the customer: Matt mentioned that from a customer point of view, the risk level is lower. Wheras with proprietary software, users bear 100% of the risk because they purchase a closed product and get locked in with the vendor. With open source the risk is shared. The solution is open meaning that the product becomes bigger than the company as the code and infrastructure is more open. If the company does a bad job, a fork will occur, the product will survive with its community. If the company does well, the community will grow and stick together in support. Additional functionality will result as will the higher quality of the product.

Rok and I are truly enjoying the weekend. Partners are seeing an extremely high level of transparency from our executive, getting questions answered about the product, and seeing the direction of the company. Yes, what is left of the once "rumor" is true, we are becoming "a real badass company with supa plans for the fucha' :-)"

One final note: 15,000 known installations for Alfresco, hopefully Openbravo will be there soon.

My OB Internal Unofficial Yet Idealistic Mascot

So, what do you do on a flight when your laptop battery goes out, you 've mistakenly jumped on a plane without personal tv's and the tall gentleman in front of you is blocking the view; oh and naturally it's late and you cannot read? Well I decided to draw my OB Internal Unofficial Yet Idealistic Mascot. What do you think of it's potential? Here was my thought process:


Use the Openbravo Name

• Try to use the "O," the "B," and the colors.
• Hands are up in the air and clapping signifying "bravo."

Think Opensource

• See what other's miss at first. Some people who see the drawing do not automatically get the fact that this is a small child. I also hear flower and grass which is also so cool.
• The head is an open "O."
• On the same note, keep the drawing open, the b, the o, the legs.

Gather Others Toward a New Feeling or Excitement:

• Have the child running or taking the next leap forward.

Create Simplicity

• The concept of a small child drawing a small child taking the leap forward.
• 4 strokes of the pen.

Please send all support by writing a comment here.

Round 2 LinuxWorld: 1 Award, 1 Surprise, 1 Miami Training Sales Pitch!

So in the end, what will Round 2 LinuxWorld be remembered for? In addition to meeting some great representatives from companies in the Open Solutions Alliance, and talking to potential partners and end clients; quite simply I’ll remember LinuxWorld itself for three simple reasons:

1. Winning the LinuxWorld Product Excellence Award: Openbravo won the award for Best Integrated Solution! Winners in other categories included Hyperic and Enterprise DB.
2. Our product works with the Iphone? Well apparently yes! We were with an Iphone user and completed basic processes, looked at reports, etc. While it hasn’t been fully tested by our QA department, our 15 minute tryout showed that Openbravo worked with the standard web browser!
3. Signing up participants for our Miami Trainings: Basic Functional, Customization and Basic Development, and Advanced Development Training. For more information, please visit: Openbravo Scheduled Training.

However while giving demos, talking about the product, and meeting people was great; outside of the conference itself the most reflective viewpoint came in gauging where we were, are, and will be going.

Looking back to one year ago, I recall a 20 person company which was Openbravo for only 8 months and still defining an identity and structure; a product which had room for improvement in both usability and functionality; and a training department which was simply a good idea, but far from a reality.

What we have now is a 50+ person company (I took vacation last week and 2 new people were here today), almost 2 years old. We have a product with a new interface, new integrated functionalities, and with a JasperSoft tool making it much easier to advance product reporting. And finally, we our training boasts an online demo, elearning module, and live training sessions which have been in South America, United States, Europe, and Asia.

As for where we are going? The natural answer is simple: wait and see.

Round 2 LinuxWorld is about to get underway… once again and thankfully.

From August 6-9, Openbravo will be making its 2nd trip to the San Francisco LinuxWorld (Booth #1308). This conference is billed as “…the premier event for the Linux and open source community, bringing together industry leaders shaping the future of new enterprise technology in the largest single gathering of business and technical leaders deploying Linux and open source solutions.”

While the event accomplishes that and more, as a first time Exhibitor in 2006 I only remembered it as “Ok…nice…Openbravo is now officially on the open source map.” With the help of all the buzz, we have started climbing the ladder - shown by reaching the #1 rank on SourceForge and over 200,000 downloads – and look forward to new possibilities for growth and collaboration.

This year, I’ll head home to the States with Manel Sarasa (CEO), Josep Mitja (COO), and Lluis Llavina (Channel Management Director). Whereas last year we were maybe 20 employees, now we number over 50, and are from 8 different countries. Maybe this is all part of it because as for what to expect this year, the big thing I think is not to being as shocked or excited if people bring up our company during forum discussions.

We are inviting all those interested in scheduling meetings with us during the conference to do so quickly by emailing us at partners@openbravo.com. This is because thanks to our community, we have helped develop multiple leads for Openbravo growth and a buzz around the upcoming V2.3 release. For more information regarding our plans at LinuxWorld and the new release, take a look at our LinuxWorld Press Release.

If you are heading to the event, please come visit us at Booth #1308. We look forward to answering any questions or taking any comments you may have. We are happy and thankful to be returning to LinuxWorld again. For those that stop by on the 9th, I'll also be happy to tell you what Round 2 will be remembered for.