Introduction
There is a wide range of different open-source applications available which can do an equally wide range of tasks. In fact, Linux and open-source software have helped shape, and now continue to run large parts of the Internet. And among this software there is plenty which can be used to help you successfully run your business.
Applications
We only consider using well designed and managed open-source software because it provides us with the flexibility to offer you a cost-effective and complete service.
We can help setup and support open-source software for:
Business Management and Accounting Software
This type of software is designed to help you run your business. It allows you to manage and track everything from orders and products to cash and invoices. It automates processes, saves time, and reduces errors.
It is sometimes called Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, and can often do:
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM),
- Supply Chain Management (SCM)
- Product Life-cycle Management (PLM)
Tryton
We specialise in creating, installing and maintaining systems based on Tryton. It's ideal for companies of any size and is easy to use.
Office Software
Every office needs software for tasks like creating letters, processing data and making presentations. We also know that it is vital to be able to share these documents with people in other offices and companies.
LibreOffice
LibreOffice is an open-source office suite for:
- word processing,
- spreadsheet creation and editing,
- presentations and slideshows,
- creating mathematical formulae,
- and working with databases.
It can read documents in all common formats and can create files that are compatible with all the other major office suites.
Shared Calendar and Contacts
Having lists of contacts that are shared amongst the people in your company can be very useful, especially if they can access them on the go from many different devices.
The same goes for your calendars too. This means you can add or update an event in the calendar and then that change can be seen by everyone else.
Radicale
Radicale can be installed on your servers, and provides calendars and contacts that can be used from computers and mobile devices. These calendars and contacts can also be setup to only allow access to certain groups of users.
Email Services
When an email is sent it gets transferred between email servers using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). Once it arrives at its destination it is normally stored in a mailbox, until a user's computer connects and retrieves it using either the Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) or the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP).
Most companies will not want, or need, to run their own email server. However, if you do, then we can help with installing, configuring and maintaining it.
Operating System
The operating system is the software that manages your computers hardware and software resources. Applications run on top of the operating system, and so must be designed to run on whatever operating system you are using.
We can help install and maintain various open source operating systems including:
Debian
A very stable and reliable operating system founded on true open source principles that has been around for a long time and was one of the first operating systems based on the Linux kernel.
Ubuntu
Based on Debian, but developed by a commercial company that generates its revenue through the sale of premium services related to it.
Relational Databases
Normally used as a back end service for other applications a Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) is the best place to store certain types of structured data. Commonly the data stored in these databases can be created, read, updated and deleted using commands written in a Structured Query Language (SQL), hence why they are sometimes called SQL databases.
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is a very powerful open-source database system with a reputation for reliability, feature robustness and performance.
Virtual Private Networking
A virtual private network (VPN) allows remote networks, or computers, to be connected together over the internet and appear as though they are on the same local network. A secure connection is created between the networks, and any data that is sent over this connection is normally encrypted.
OpenVPN
The OpenVPN project provides a fully-feature and secure open-source VPN solution. The OpenVPN protocol is established as the de-facto standard for open-source virtual private networking. Its security model is based on SSL, which provides industry standard secure communications.
Virtualisation and Containerisation
Virtualisation is the creation and use of virtual computing resources to allow physical resources to be apportioned and shared.
Containerisation is closely linked to virtualisation. A container is a self contained application. It is made up from a container image that packages up an application's code and dependencies. Container images are then run in a virtual environment that provides platform independence. The result is flexible, portable applications that use resources better.
Docker
Docker uses lightweight OS-level virtualisation to run pre-packaged application images. Each docker container runs in an standard isolated environment, allowing each server to run multiple docker containers.