Boston IT Consulting

SugarCRM vs Salesforce

2009-04-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

SugarCRM versus Salesforce

Let’s kick-off with a quick explanation of what a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) actually is and does. CRM applications enable businesses to learn about their customers’ needs and habits in order to build better relationships with them. A CRM application will store customer data and make it both actionable and reportable, enabling a business to become more aware of market trends and enhance its sales and marketing strategies.

SugarCRM and Salesforce are two of the better known CRM applications. Which is best? Phew! That’s far from an easy call.

In terms of features, both are pretty similar; pretty much everything that can be done with SugarCRM can be done with Salesforce, and vice versa.

SugarCRM is has a slightly more aesthetically pleasing user interface and is somewhat easier to navigate. But that’s simply my opinion (and we all know what opinions are like, right?).

SugarCRM certainly has more deployment options. Salesforce is strictly a software-as-as-service (SaaS) application whereas SugarCRM can be deployed as an appliance, as an in-house application or as a SaaS.

The real difference between Salesforce and SugarCRM is price. Salesforce starts from $9 per user per month for the most basic version but, to get the features that most business will need, they’ll need to pay upwards of $65 per user per month or $780 per user per year. SugarCRM, on the other hand, is open source - no, contrary to what many people think, that does not mean that it’s free! – and the on-site Professional edition costs $275 per user per year. In other words, you can get a version of SugarCRM that has pretty much the same set of features as Salesforce for less than half the cost.

Note that both companies offer special offers from time-to-time. For example, Salesforce is currently offering a $99 per user per year deal. While this may sound attractive, remember to factor in that you may well end up paying more in the longer term.

So, which is best? SugarCRM or Salesforce? While the products are pretty equal in terms of functionality and features, SugarCRM’s lower pricing and flexible deployment options make it an easy winner.

Cinch IT, a qualified IT Consultant can assist in the decision.

What is IT?

2009-04-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

What the heck is IT, anyway?

With the spread of technology comes the proliferation of arcane terms to describe it. But the acronym IT (as in “Boston IT consulting”) isn’t mysterious. It simply means “information technology.” What was once called “data processing.”

To process data in olden times, you’d drop pages (“hard copy”) into file folders and then deposit the file folders in a filing cabinet, doing so in alphabetical order to permit efficient retrieval. Backups might be accomplished via a mechanism called “carbon paper.”

Human beings still sort hard copy, of course. But now that small but powerful computers have become ubiquitous, we increasingly shuffle electrons to handle information. The machines and associated systems we enlist to achieve this are called “information technology,” or IT.

A formal definition is provided by the Information Technology of America, which reports that IT is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware."

IT is also the name we give to the professional field devoted to supporting information technology. Such support can sometimes be provided in-house (or off-site by computer companies who then ship a customer the result). But professionals like those who specialize in Boston IT consulting can help businesses to optimize the sometimes tricky tech to which they’ve entrusted critical information.

Information technology may be distinguished from, but obviously overlaps with, communications technology, which has evolved way beyond snail-mail or corded hand sets and land lines. A smartphone does it all. In the era of iPhone, many phones will send email, surf the net, and even run an array of software applications.

You might lump broadcasting and wireless technologies with IT generally and call it all “Information and Communications Technology” (ICT). But when your network starts hiccuping, you call somebody in IT consulting, not ICT consulting.

3/27 Boston IT Consulting News

2009-03-27T08:58:00.001-07:00

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Boston IT Consulting News - Pipes Output

Billions Spent On Health IT Stimulus Could Lead To Major Boom â€¦ Or Bust (Medical News Today)
March 27, 2009 at 7:19 am

The more than $19 billion dollars of funding provided for health care information technology (IT) in President Obama's economic stimulus package offers a unique opportunity to deliver on the promise of computerized health care, say researchers from Children's Hospital Boston in a Perspective article published in the March 26 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

March madness brings gladness to hotels - The Patriot Ledger
March 27, 2009 at 7:04 am

March madness brings gladness to hotels
The Patriot Ledger, MA
Occupancy rates have fallen below 60 percent at many local hotels, and room rates are not expected to rebound until early 2010, according to PKF Consulting of Boston. Eight hotels in Back Bay and the waterfront district were designated as hosts for the ...

Sports figures connecting with fans through Twitter (The Pantagraph)
March 27, 2009 at 6:43 am

The social networking Web site Twitter was already big, but sports figures are quickly turning it into a way to entertain, interact with their fans, share their news — and sometimes put their spin on a story. | List of popular sports figures on Twitter

NH House oks gay-marriage bill - Philadelphia Inquirer
March 27, 2009 at 3:25 am

NH House oks gay-marriage bill
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA
Gannett Fleming Inc. of Camp Hill, Pa., an engineering consulting firm that designed the ceiling, agreed to pay $1.5 million to help maintain the Big Dig tunnels, Coakley said. The firm will also pay $50000 to the city of Boston and forgo $150000 in ...

Retirement kick-ins dwindle - Poughkeepsie Journal
March 27, 2009 at 3:09 am

Retirement kick-ins dwindle
Poughkeepsie Journal, NY
A survey released this week by research and consulting company Spectrem Group said 29 percent of employers intend to reduce or eliminate contributions to "defined-contribution retirement plans" in the next 12 months. While the survey has a large ...

US expands inquiry into DiMasi friends - Boston Globe
March 27, 2009 at 1:50 am

US expands inquiry into DiMasi friends
Boston Globe, United States
With his vast accounting experience, the proposal says, Vitale can "successfully service the client's specific needs for financial accounting, reporting, and tax consulting." Genesis's bid, one of four, was $138973 less than the second-lowest bid. ...

Sports figures connecting with fans through Twitter (The Pantagraph)
March 27, 2009 at 1:14 am

How To Avoid Hidden Prescription Drug Risks (Forbes)
March 26, 2009 at 7:54 pm

These simple steps will help prevent complications from drug use.

Sports figures connecting with fans through Twitter (The Pantagraph)
March 26, 2009 at 6:41 pm

Athletes using 'tweets' to interact with fans, share their news (Honolulu Advertiser)
March 26, 2009 at 6:14 pm

Lance Armstrong was minutes away from surgery, but still took time to post a photo of himself in his hospital bed.

BofA Ditches Premier Banker System (Financial Planning.com)
March 26, 2009 at 5:12 pm

Bank of America's March 25 announcement that it was letting go of hundreds of bankers from its premier banking unit is good news for financial advisors, who will now be the primary contact for clients.

Sports Figures Using Twitter To Interact With Fans (WCPO Cincinnati)
March 26, 2009 at 5:08 pm

The social networking Web site Twitter was already big, but sports figures are quickly turning it into a way to entertain, interact with their fans, share their news -- and...

With Shaq, tweets aren't always the ref's whistle (AP via Yahoo! News)
March 26, 2009 at 3:52 pm

Lance Armstrong was minutes away from surgery, but still took time to post a photo of himself in his hospital bed.

Boston Hotel Market Looking Glum Through 2010 (Banker & Tradesman)
March 26, 2009 at 2:48 pm

Boston-area hotels are not expected to have an increase in quarterly Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) until first quarter 2010, according to PKF-HR's latest monthly hotel trend report.

Medical costs for retirees climb, new study says - Los Angeles Times
March 26, 2009 at 1:40 pm

National Post

Medical costs for retirees climb, new study says
Los Angeles Times, CA
When you retire, healthcare is likely to be your largest expense, and it's one that many people forget to factor fully into their retirement plans, said Sunit Patel, a senior vice president at Boston-based Fidelity. "A lot of individuals feel today ...
Fidelity: retirement health care tops $240K per couple Bizjournals.com
Fidelity estimates retiree healthcare costs Boston Globe
GETTING PERSONAL: hsas Help Pay Retirement Health Costs Wall Street Journal
Reuters - Business Wire (press release)
all 28 news articles

President Obama Says Balancing Budget Without Addressing Health Care Is 'Impossible' (Medical News Today)
March 26, 2009 at 12:11 pm

President Obama on Tuesday during a prime-time news conference linked issues within the U.S. budget in part to high health care costs, stating that "almost every single person" who has examined the nation's budget has concluded that the government must find a way to reduce health care costs, the Washington Post reports (Shear/Wilson, Washington Post, 3/25).

News briefs (Wayland Town Crier)
March 26, 2009 at 11:25 am

Candidates in Wayland's contested School Committee and Board of Selectman races will be participating in the 11th annual Candidates Live Q & A Call-In program on Wayland cable TV on Thursday, March 26 from 6 to 8 p.m.

*vwd/BUSINESS WIRE: DLA Piper and Depositary Management Corporation In partnership With Bloomberg and Business Wire ... (vwd.de)
March 26, 2009 at 10:20 am

MITTEILUNG UEBERMITTELT VON BUSINESS WIRE. FUER DEN INHALT IST ALLEIN DAS BERICHTENDE UNTERNEHMEN VERANTWORTLICH.

News briefs (The Weston Town Crier)
March 26, 2009 at 10:07 am

Come to a Weston Climate Group forum at the Weston Library on Thursday, March 26 at 7 p.m. in the Community Room to consider major environmental questions related to the Department of Public Works building project.

Boston hotel market continues to soften - Bizjournals.com
March 26, 2009 at 9:58 am

Boston hotel market continues to soften
Bizjournals.com, NC
Boston-area hotels are not expected to have an increase in quarterly Revenue Per Available Room of "RevPAR" until the first quarter of 2010, according to PKF Hospitality Research, the research affiliate of PKF Consulting. "While this may sound like bad ...
PKF, Colliers Meredith & Grew join forces Bizjournals.com
all 7 news articles

Boston hotel market continues to soften (BizJournals)
March 26, 2009 at 9:54 am

Boston-area hotels are not expected to have an increase in quarterly Revenue Per Available Room of "RevPAR" until the first quarter of 2010, according to PKF Hospitality Research, the research affiliate of PKF Consulting.

Fidelity estimates retiree healthcare costs - Boston Globe
March 26, 2009 at 8:48 am

Reuters

Fidelity estimates retiree healthcare costs
Boston Globe, United States
A 65-year-old couple retiring this year will need $240000 to cover medical expenses in retirement even with Medicare insurance coverage, said Fidelity Investments, a Boston mutual funds firm that sells retirement investment products. ...
Medical costs for retirees climb, new study says Los Angeles Times
GETTING PERSONAL: hsas Help Pay Retirement Health Costs Wall Street Journal
US retiree healthcare costs seen up this year Reuters
Business Wire (press release) - InvestmentNews
all 24 news articles

24 Globe employees accept buyout - Boston Herald
March 26, 2009 at 8:43 am

24 Globe employees accept buyout
Boston Herald, United States
... who plans to set up a health-care consulting firm. Krasner was on the Globe Spotlight Team that just won two awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. Kerber said he plans to cover mutual funds for Reuters' Boston bureau. ...
More Globe exits: Wilkinson, Krasner, Wertheimer The Phoenix
all 9 news articles

CRA Expands Global Industrial Consulting Capabilities with Addition of Three Vice Presidents (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
March 26, 2009 at 8:30 am

BOSTON----CRA International, Inc. , a worldwide leader in providing management, economic, and financial consulting services, today announced the expansion of its Global Industrial Consulting and Litigation Practices with the addition of three vice presidents--Greg Bean, Lionel Marquie and Renee Miller-Mizia.

Spyglass Endoscope Improves Diagnosis Of Biliary And Pancreatic Diseases (Medical News Today)
March 26, 2009 at 7:08 am

A research article published on March 21, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology reports their experience of this new endoscope that can directly visualize the biliary and pancreatic ducts. The research team led by Dr. Raijman of Digestive Associates of Houston, used the Spyglass Spyscope® (Boston Scientific; Natick, MA).

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3/26 Boston IT Consulting News

2009-03-26T08:48:00.001-07:00

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Boston IT Consulting News - Pipes Output

Springfield polling residents about septic systems (The Morning Call)
March 26, 2009 at 4:01 am

Springfield Township wants to know whether on-lot septic systems in the Upper Bucks community work properly.

Community Briefly: Shreveport, consultant sign master plan contract - Shreveport Times
March 26, 2009 at 3:02 am

Community Briefly: Shreveport, consultant sign master plan contract
Shreveport Times, LA
The Shreveport Metropolitan Planning Commission and consulting firm Goody, Clancy & Associates officially have entered a contract for the lead job on the city's master plan. MPC members approved the $100000 deal March 4 and the Boston-based firm signed ...

24 Globe employees accept buyout (Boston Herald)
March 26, 2009 at 12:21 am

MediaBiz has the names of the Boston Globe newsroom employees taking the buyout - and the photo department and business section are taking big hits. The Globe needed...

24 Globe employees accept buyout - Boston Herald
March 26, 2009 at 12:07 am

Universal Benefit Plans Teams up with Leggette Actuaries to Offer ... - FOXBusiness
March 25, 2009 at 11:51 pm

Universal Benefit Plans Teams up with Leggette Actuaries to Offer ...
FOXBusiness
BOSTON, March 25, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Universal Benefit Plans--a Boston based, full-service employee benefit brokerage and consulting firm announced today that they will offer of a comprehensive suite of COBRA services to new clients at no ...

Putnam, Mercer end retirement plan joint venture - Boston Globe
March 25, 2009 at 11:42 pm

Putnam, Mercer end retirement plan joint venture
Boston Globe, United States
The competition to attract and manage company 401(k) plans has heated up and is forcing prices down by as much as 2 percent a year, said Peter Demmer, the chief executive of Sterling Resources Inc., a New Jersey consulting firm. ...
Mercer to offer DC admin services direct to advisers InvestmentNews
Mercer Announces Expanded Distribution of Its Defined Contribution ... FOXBusiness
all 22 news articles

More companies cut or end 401(k) plan matches - USA Today
March 25, 2009 at 9:54 pm

More companies cut or end 401(k) plan matches
USA Today
A survey released Wednesday by research and consulting company Spectrem Group says 29% of employers intend to reduce or eliminate contributions to "defined-contribution retirement plans" in the next 12 months. While the survey has a large +/- 8 ...

Who's Minding Your 401(k)? Many Plan Sponsors Aren't, Survey Says (Fox News)
March 25, 2009 at 8:48 pm

Who's Minding Your 401(k)? Many Plan Sponsors Aren't, Survey Says

Robert Powell: Who's minding your 401(k)? Many plan sponsors aren't, survey says (Market Watch)
March 25, 2009 at 8:02 pm

In good times, when markets are rising and retirement security is a given, very few workers question or care whether their 401(k) plan's fiduciary is doing their job or not. But these days, it's a valid question and concern, especially in light of a distressing survey.

Emerging From the Slump Stronger - Wall Street Journal
March 25, 2009 at 7:25 pm

Emerging From the Slump Stronger
Wall Street Journal
By ERIN WHITE We asked Harold Sirkin, a senior partner at Boston Consulting Group and co-author of the book "Globality," for his advice. His suggestions: Be prepared to buy other companies at rock-bottom prices, reduce the number of new projects in the ...

Qantas slashes top end - Melbourne Herald Sun
March 25, 2009 at 6:40 pm

BBC News

Qantas slashes top end
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia
The restructure comes after an eight-month review by corporate advisers Boston Consulting and was foreshadowed by Mr Dixon last July when he said 1500 staff were to go. While fuel prices have fallen, any benefits that might have flowed to the bottom ...
Qantas may cut 100 senior executive jobs-report Reuters
Qantas to Cut Up to 100 Senior Executive Positions, Review Says Bloomberg
Qantas tightens belt amid recession PRESS TV
e-Travel Blackboard (press release) - Avionews
all 193 news articles

Universal Benefit Plans Teams up with Leggette Actuaries to Offer ... - PR Newswire (press release)
March 25, 2009 at 3:21 pm

Universal Benefit Plans Teams up with Leggette Actuaries to Offer ...
PR Newswire (press release), NY
BOSTON , March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Benefit Plans--a Boston based, full-service employee benefit brokerage and consulting firm announced today that they will offer of a comprehensive suite of COBRA services to new clients at no charge. ...

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