SugarCRM Announces SugarCon 2010, the Global Customer and Developer Conference

By Deepika Mala, TMCnet Contributor

A record quarter with the addition of nearly 600 customers in the first quarter of 2010 was announced by open source CRM provider SugarCRM (News - Alert), the world's premier provider of open source customer relationship management software.

On the eve of SugarCon 2010, SugarCRM's global customer and developer conference to be held at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco April 13-15, the announcement was made.

"Customers are increasingly turning to cloud applications like SugarCRM that deliver a cost-effective, flexible alternative to legacy SaaS (News - Alert) applications," said Larry Augustin, CEO of SugarCRM, adding that the strong first quarter positions the company well for the upcoming year, and welcomes customers, developers and partners to SugarCon.

New Customers Using SugarCRM in Innovative Ways

In terms of subscriptions and users, including U.S. Water Services, Western Athletic Clubs, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, FamilySearch International, Hornblower Cruises & Events and INTI Education Group, SugarCRM achieved record numbers.

Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life

Opportunities for Jewish students at more than 500 colleges and universities to explore and celebrate their Jewish identity through its global network of regional centers, campus foundations and Hillel student organizations is provided by the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.

To use SugarCRM as the data-centerpiece of their innovative relationship-based outreach model - consolidating information on students, organizations, staff and relationships at over 500 colleges and universities to support their mission, Hillel is working with SugarCRM partner, agencyQ.

"SugarCRM will be the centerpiece of our relationship-based model," Matt Braman, vice president of information technology, says. "It will help us manage and improve dynamic relationships with students, organizations and staffs across the 500 college and universities we serve."

Hornblower Cruises & Events

Hornblower, with vessels ranging from cozy and custom-designed to the three largest dining yachts on the West Coast, welcomes guests for classic sightseeing and dining cruises, corporate outings, weddings, special events, environmental tours and film shoots.

Sailing from seven California ports, the company serves as the National Park Service concession of ferry service to Alcatraz Island, the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island.

To manage their charter sales group for Luxury cruise operations as well as group bookings Hornblower will be using SugarCRM. Also, to provide real time sales pipeline measurement and operational improvements, the company will be integrating SugarCRM to its legacy CTERM system and using Sugar.

U.S. Water Services

U.S. Water is a middle market water treatment chemical and equipment company that grows its customer base by exceeding customer expectations through a focus on quality, innovation and continuous improvement in all aspects of water management within a facility.

"We chose SugarCRM because it's easy to use," Regional Manager, Bill Lough, states. "It's our belief that this would go a long way to driving user adoption and transforming us from a paper driven company. We also believe SugarCRM will get us results quicker than any other solution due to the dedication and experience level of its Business Partners in providing us a thorough, viable and flexible solution in a rapid way."

FamilySearch International

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world and a lot of people, to learn more about their family history, use FamilySearch records, resources and services. The company, for over 100 years, has been actively gathering, preserving and sharing genealogical records worldwide.

At FamilySearch.org, or through over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries, including the renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, patrons may freely access resources and service online.

A global network of communities consisting of commercial and non-profit organizations as well as individuals must be created by FamilySearch to economically preserve the world's heritage and facilitate research.

As a result, to begin to create a worldwide community portal and communication platform for genealogical research, FamilySearch has leveraged the expertise of SugarCRM Partner, Plus Consulting.

"Sugar Professional's ability to manage dynamic, third party, worldwide relationships will take FamilySearch's mission to preserve the family history of the world to a whole new level," Ransom Love, senior vice president, said.

INTI Education Group

The INTI Education Group is a pioneer and one of the most respected and trusted names in the private higher education sector in Malaysia. To integrate campus and student information systems at 11 separate campuses, as well as centralize the management of its marketing and recruitment process, it is using Sugar Professional. SugarCRM was selected by INTI because of its flexibility, cost-effectiveness and enterprise readiness.

"Sugar has allowed us improved visibility into our sales and marketing recruitment efforts for improved decision making," Richard Pany, group CIO, INTI Education Group, said. "We have also seen a huge increase in the productivity of our staff thanks to Sugar's automated tools."

In related news, RhoLogic, a division of Logic Appeal, a premier integrator of SugarCRM and SAP (News - Alert) BusinessOne CRM software, has announced the launch of their SugarCRM smartphone application.

(source: http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/open-source-crm/articles/81625-sugarcrm-announces-sugarcon-2010-global-customer-developer-conference.htm)