Introduction
Welcome to the June 2008 issue of the Openbravo Vision, the newsletter designed to keep our community up-to-date.
This has been one of the busiest and most rewarding times for us as a company and we have much to share with you. The big news is the official close of our second round of financing: the largest round of funding for any open source ERP company. Our success is your success in this case, as our mutual vision, execution and belief in open source applications has caught more than just attention - it's caught commitment.
The funding will allow us to serve our community better through investment in our product and documentation, to grow internationally with extended services to our global partner network, and to open new offices abroad. It will drive us to our next stage of growth, and the presence of seasoned executives from our new investors on our Board of Directors will bring fresh insight and help us to execute our growth strategy successfully.
In line with this commitment to international growth, we will be holding our first American Get Together in June, in the cosmopolitan city of Miami. Meanwhile, product momentum continues with new versions of both, our ERP and POS applications, increased success of Openbravo Network, the commercial service that combines Openbravo ERP software along with full product support for a complete solution.
It's an exciting time for Openbravo, as we trailblaze open source adoption and applications. I wish to thank each of you for your ongoing support, innovation, and dedication. Together, we are an unstoppable force.
Here's to a good summer for everyone as we continue to deliver leading open source solutions that drive business processes, value, and innovation.
With thanks and warmest regards,
Manel Sarasa
CEO, Openbravo
We're always interested in receiving your feedback so that we know what you'd like to read in Openbravo Vision. If you have any ideas or suggestions for your newsletter please send them to: vision@openbravo.com.
If you are looking for a past newsletter they can be found here: http://www.openbravo.com/about-us/press-room/newsletter
Openbravo Funding
Openbravo receives $12 million in funding, largest ever for open source ERP
Several weeks ago, we closed our second round of financing and left with US$12 million. This round of investment came jointly from Amadeus Capital, a British venture capital firm; GIMV, one of the largest investment firms in the Benelux region; and Spanish investor Adara Venture Partners. The round is the largest ever for open source ERP, and nearly doubles the previous record that we ourselves set in our last round with Sodena. The experience of the Openbravo Board of Directors has grown with the addition of new members Steven Coppens from GIMV and Andrey Kessel from Amadeus.
Openbravo's Investors and Board of Directors
Product Updates
New Openbravo ERP version 2.40 release
In May, we announced the availability on SourceForge of the public alpha version of Openbravo ERP 2.40. For our community, this is the result of a lot of work to enhance several key features and we are happy to finally be able to show it off. The release is currently available in alpha status and it is complete from a functional perspective.
This release truly focused on improving usability. We were the first open source ERP product to boast a web-based interface, and then again with an AJAX-enabled UI. Now, with 2.40, we raise the bar again and bring the productivity of the user interface to levels comparable with client server applications. Keyboard shortcuts are now available, the system is more configurable to show only the most important data specific to a user's business, and a new look and revised icons round out the offering on the interface side.
Improved localization is an under-the-hood functionality that has greatly been improved. Enhanced multi-schema now allows users to account for each transaction under multiple accounting rules, in multiple currencies and multiple calendars. The VAT module was completely revised to better support key reporting requirements in different countries. These are only a select few of the many new enhancements, but they are all designed with one goal in mind: to make users businesses run better. The improvements all help to make it easier than ever before for a user to navigate their data, and allow them to do much more with it as well.
We do encourage you to download and install this new version and give us your feedback. You can post your opinion and questions on the new features in the Early Releases Discussion forum and you can log any defect that you might find in the product using our new tracker system.
For a historical view of the development status, see the 2.40 Release Status page.
Launch of Openbravo POS 2.10
June 2008 has seen the launch of the new and improved Openbravo Point of Sale solution, Openbravo POS 2.10. This new application - the second release since Openbravo acquired Librepos (formerly TinaPOS) - works with retail hardware, such as ticket printers and barcode scanners, to ease some of the operational challenges faced by retailers and hospitality businesses.
A raft of new features and functionality has been added as we continue our commitment to developing another market-leading open source application. These enhancements include integration with IBM's popular SurePOS 500 series; new customer-facing functionality including capabilities around loyalty cards and accounts, custom invoices and customer-specific reporting; localization features to handle country-specific taxes and denominations; and further integration with Openbravo ERP.
Openbravo Network
Early this year, we launched Openbravo Network, a commercial service that combines Openbravo ERP software along with full product support; thus providing a complete solution to the public. Openbravo Network has become a successful offering, as it is a true win-win for both customers and partners.
Customers receive the solution to all their ERP needs in one appliance. This appliance is fine-tuned for optimal performance, and comes with the guarantee that the entire stack is always up-to-date and backed by Openbravo.
Partners benefit from Openbravo Network because it gives them more time for consulting, and less time focused on installation or system maintenance. This is because the stack comes set for simple integration into existing systems. Partners also know that if a bug is found, or an upgrade is necessary, Openbravo will be there for support.
In just a few months, Openbravo Network has already received numerous positive reviews. The way we see it, Openbravo Network is a perfect way to give customers and partners required functionality and support, all in one neatly packaged solution.
Find out more about Openbravo Network
Partner News
New partner program, new types of partners and completion of the Openbravo 360° Business Tour
April brought an increased focus on improving our relationships with partners. First, we saw the completion of our Openbravo 360° Business Tour throughout Latin America, where our management team traveled from Mexico to Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Peru and Chile to meet with interested new partners and give them information on how to build a successful practice around our products.
Second, we announced our new Global Partner Program, designated to give even more options for both current and potential partners. Not only do we have new partner categories, but also a new tiered structure to better fit with each partner's individual needs.
Our Global Partner Program has led to a steady rise in partners internationally. We now have over 80 partners in more than 40 countries. New partners have joined in key strategic markets for us, such as Germany and the United Kingdom. Additionally, we have expanded our network in widespread regions, from Peru and Mexico in Latin America to Italy, Spain and the Benelux in Europe.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to join our Partner Network - fill out an application today!
New partners
We would like to give a warm welcome to our new partners who have joined us since our last newsletter edition!
 | Veloton - Germany |
 | Jota Technologies - Peru |
 | DW - Net - Italy |
 | Jvolution - UK |
 | Apal Informatique - Romania |
 | M2M Consulting - Nigeria |
|
| Openia - Italy |
 | Comenico - Spain |
 | Tegik - México |
|
| Asgard Technologies - Peru |
 | Elmyr Services - Belgium |
You can visit our partner map for detailed information.
Customer Corner
R&D Group of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
In our previous newsletter, we announced that Openbravo successfully broke into the Public Administration sector by working with an R&D Group belonging to the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, focused in areas such as applied acoustics and advanced instrumentation systems. They also deliver commercial services around legal metrology and accredited laboratories.
Now, since the implementation was completed in February, we can offer the customer testimonial.
The R&D Group of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid switched to our open source Openbravo ERP from Microsoft's closed-source Navision system, providing even more evidence for the rapidly evolving market shift towards open source adoption.
Commenting on the implementation of Openbravo ERP, Mariano Ruiz, Regular Professor, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid said, "We needed an ERP system that could serve many purposes for the business: from project management, activity reporting and task tracking, to cost analysis and expense projections. Changing over to Openbravo ERP was simple and we are quickly seeing the benefits. The system's flexibility made it easy to fit all of our needs and has been easy to use from day one."
To read more customer success stories, visit our website: www.openbravo.com/customers/success-stories
These customer testimonials provide the real-world benefits of adopting Openbravo. If you have a story to tell, please send email us so that we can publish them on our website: customers@openbravo.com
Community Information
Openbravo Manifesto
During this year's Openbravo Get Together in Barcelona, we unveiled our new company statement, the Openbravo Manifesto. The Manifesto underscores our continued dedication to the community by outlining our core values: transparency, openness, collaboration, meritocracy, leadership, excellence, and gratitude. It reflects our commitment to open source availability, open access, open documentation, and most importantly to you - our community. By supporting the intellectual property rights of developers, defending any legal infringements on development, and ensuring proper attribution to all contributors' work, we are able to fully support our community.
Code Snippets
With vital input from the Openbravo community, we have a new section on the Openbravo Wiki dedicated to simplifying future developments by making reusable code snippets available to anyone developing Openbravo projects. If any developers have functional code snippets to add, they can create new pages on the Openbravo Wiki for the entire community to see and use.
Code Snippets at Openbravo's wiki
Upcoming Events and Trainings
Openbravo Training Convention and Get Together, Miami
Throughout June this year, we are holding
the Openbravo
Training Convention in Miami, FL, providing three week-long sessions geared
towards the better utilization of Openbravo technology. To learn more about
the training sessions, including topics and registration information, head to
our website:
http://www.openbravo.com/services/by-service/training/scheduled-training/miami-convention-2008
In light of huge success of the Openbravo Get Together in Barcelona, between the second and third weeks of training, we will hold the Openbravo Get Together Miami. Held on June 21st and 22nd this event will host members of the Openbravo's executive team to speak on best practices for both business and technology aspects of Openbravo software.
The Openbravo Get Together Miami is the first ever chance to bring together the US community to share experiences and knowledge. This will also be a great opportunity to spread Openbravo enthusiasm, and get to know our fantastic community better through numerous networking events outside of the workshops.
Read more about the Openbravo Get Together Miami
Don't miss the opportunity to attend!
OSCON and LinuxWorld, San Francisco
On July 21, 2008 Openbravo will attend OSCON, the O'Reilly Open Source Convention. We will also be present at LinuxWorld, San Francisco on August 4, 2008. We're still finishing up the details of our participation in these conferences. We will have more information for you in our next newsletter.
Openbravo in the News
La start-up española Openbravo consigue una inyección de 12 millones de dólares de capital riesgo
This article in Computerworld Spain is about the recent funding announcement.
Investors Pump $12 Million Into Open Source ERP, Point of Sale Software
The VAR Guy interviewed Manel Sarasa, our CEO, and posted the full text of the interview online. Read the article for Manel's personal view on what the investment means
Think Global, Act Local
Our chief operating officer, Josep Mitja, wrote an article for Sys-Con Media about the valuable contributions of European open source software.
Open source ERP rivals Compiere, OpenBravo expand partner networks
Paula Rooney from ZDNet wrote on the expansion of our partner network.
Open Source ERP Grows Up
CIO Magazine's Robert Lemos included Openbravo in a piece on the open source ERP market and includes quotes from his interview with Josep Mitja, COO.
Open Source et démarche commerciale : ne pas mélanger torchons et serviettes
ERP-Infos, the leading ERP-specific publication in France, published a profile piece on Openbravo.
Open source manufacturing ERP gets 600,000 downloads
Brian Tinham from Manufacturing Computer Solutions, the leading manufacturing IT publication in the UK, wrote about Openbravo Network and quoted his interview with COO Josep Mitja.
Open up to a new source - The Post.ie
Dermot Corrigan explores how traditional proprietary models are being overtaken with open source and interviews our COO, Josep Mitja.
ERP: A Morphing Market - by Bob Violino - CIO Insight
CIO Insight mentions Openbravo as one of the vendors causing disruption in the ERP market and quotes an analyst who advises CIOs to take a look at open source solutions in the ERP space.
Review: For ERP, Is It Time To Applaud Openbravo? - by Fahmida Y. Rashid - ChannelWeb
CRN has an in-depth review of Openbravo ERP.
De extravagancia a negocio
El País, a leading Spanish media publisher, interviewed our community director, Jordi Mas. Jordi discusses the growing adoption of open source, and how it will affect the business world.
To see all of the great coverage of our second round of investment, please see the Second Round Funding - Coverage Report on our Openbravo in the Press section of our website.
© 2008 Openbravo
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