SugarCRM to optimize software for Windows Server

Computerworld - Microsoft Corp. and fast-growing open-source software maker SugarCRM Inc. saidtoday that an upcoming version of SugarCRM's customer relationship management software will be optimized for Microsoft's Windows Server operating system and have its source code made available through a Microsoft license.
Cupertino, Calif.-based SugarCRM has 450 business customers, one-third of whom "rent" usage of a hosted version of the CRM software through the Internet, with the other two-thirds installing it on their own servers, according to CEO Jeff Roberts. Of those customers, most run it on computers using Linux or FreeBSD. But 35% also run the Sugar software on Windows Server.
Due in the summer, Sugar Suite 4.5 will have improved support for Microsoft's Internet Information Services (IIS), and it will work with Microsoft's Active Directory and its database, SQL Server.
"This is something our community has asked for," Roberts said.
The source code will also be available through Microsoft's Community License. SugarCRM has released the source code for parts of its product using the Mozilla Public License and the GNU Public License.
Bill Hilf, Microsoft's director of technical platform strategy, said the company has a similar collaboration with another open-source firm, JBoss Group.
While acknowledging that the alliance conflicted with Microsoft's own line of CRM software, Hilf said it fits with Microsoft's overall strategy of expanding use of its operating systems.
"If people want to use Microsoft Dynamic CRM, that's fine. If they want to use SugarCRM, that's fine, too," he said. "We are used to this sort of co-opetition."

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