Open source customer relationship management, or “CRM,” provider, SugarCRM (News - Alert), announced the general availability of Sugar 5.5, a software product that offers a new Web service framework, platform improvements, the ability to create custom themes and enhanced mobile features.

According to Clint Oram, co-founder and vice president of product management of SugarCRM, Sugar 5.5 will be the guiding software for the SugarCRM community.

“The quality and depth of Sugar 5.5 demonstrates the power of the open source business model and advances SugarCRM's mission of providing the most open, flexible and easy-to-use CRM in the market,” Oram said. 

For companies looking to manage any SugarCRM application in an on-the-go environment, the availability of Sugar 5.5 is monumental for individuals who rely heavily on a mobile device. With many of its new features, SugarCRM’s new integration is essential for companies looking to maximize time, while increasing productivity.

According to company officials, the “Mobile Studio Editor” feature within the Sugar 5.5. system provides enhanced customization capabilities to optimize SugarCRM for mobile devices with pre-built layouts and views for modules designated for mobile use.

With the Mobile Studio Editor, users can customize their mobile device by selecting what platforms to view, tailor out how they’d like to view each module and make their viewing more pleasurable and geared towards their specific needs. 

And, with the “Dynamic Teams” functionality, users can collaborate with other system users on varied projects all on their mobile device. 

“A user could assign an executive sponsor, professional services team and customer advocate to a given account, rather than simply assigning the account to an individual sales representative or sales team,” SugarCRM officials said. 

Using the Sugar 5.5 system on a mobile device to benefit the on-the-go user is not the only benefit the new availability offers, however. Specifically, users can improve their integration capabilities with other SugarCRM products already used, for a unified system that is smooth and scalable throughout all company systems.

With the “Enhanced Web Services Framework,” users can streamline Web service call performance by allowing third-party developers to tweak and edit the SugarCRM application. 

“SugarCRM has also added a REST interface that allows for easier development of RESTful services allowing complex interactions between Sugar and services such as e-commerce systems, billing services and social networks,” company officials added about the new functionality. 

And, the “Themes Framework,” adds a fun flair to the Sugar 5.5 application, by giving users the choice and preference of making their Sugar 5.5 application as custom – with different styles, colors and navigation – as a user desires. 

What’s more, users can customize a company’s logo and themes, or specify the preferences of individual developers without the hassle of using code.

Lastly, the “Advanced Password Management” feature ensures for the safety of a user’s information by allowing an individual or organization to set password strength requirements, create system-generated passwords and allows users to reset their own passwords.

In order to create the most effective and full proof system, user passwords can be set to expire and the system can lock out users after a pre-set amount of failed login attempts.

So, in order to have the safest, yet most dynamic and user friendly system that allows for easy integration with other SugarCRM applications, Sugar 5.5 is the way to go for companies looking to create a unified platform for their CRM needs.