GERMANY, DARMSTADT - The first enterprise application built on the open source framework Drupal is now available for free download at www.erpal.info. Bright Solutions developed ERPAL for Service Providers especially for small and medium-sized service organizations with fewer than 300 employees who work on a project or assignment basis.
The web-based software accounts for all processes starting from first contact all the way through to invoicing. But not only does open source licensing provide customers independence from providers: everyone benefits from the flexibility of software that can be quickly and easily adapted to change.
For many service organizations, the tasks of calculating labor, keeping an eye on budgets, tracking billable hours and final billing can pose serious challenges. This was also the experience of Bright Solutions' Managing Director, Manuel Pistner, for the company's web and app development business: "Accurately documenting and coordinating projects is absolutely crucial for service providers. However, I couldn't find any lightweight, integrated software application that would simplify and automate all these processes. So my team and I decided to develop our own solution. ERPAL for Service Providers was basically born out of need: created by practitioners for practitioners." This approach is reflected in its simplicity of use as well as in the software's high level of automation. Overall, customers can save upwards of 25 percent of the time they spend on the organization and administration of business processes. And ERPAL has already found enthusiastic users around the globe: there are currently over 250 installations of the beta version in operation. By the end of 2014, Bright Solutions expects more than 500 service organizations to be running the software.
For Stefan Krüger, Managing Director of Rätsel-Krüger GmbH, the key to success is obvious: "In our company, ERPAL very quickly became an indispensable central hub. Because it's so simple to learn and so easy to use, it was well accepted by everyone involved. On top of that, it very quickly brings potential organizational improvements to light."
The standard version of ERPAL for Service Providers will first be made available in English; the German version and other localizations are planned for release in early 2015. Numerous translators from the international Drupal community have already offered their support. ERPAL for Service Providers can be installed on any server that complies with the user's data processing guidelines. It only requires an Apache Webserver and a MySQL database to run. Because the software is open source, users can look into the code at any time to ensure that it neither contains malware nor is sending data to unauthorized parties. As an introduction to the software, several videos have been made available on www.erpal.info; if required, supplemental training can be booked with Bright Solutions. Furthermore, individual customizations can be completed within just a few person-days.
The full version of ERPAL for Service Providers will be unveiled in Amsterdam at Drupal Con 2014, taking place from 29.9.2014 through 3.10.2014. https://amsterdam2014.drupal.org
By Anne-Isabelle Degryse-Blateau (info@koreaittimes.com)
