SugarCRM® For Dummies®

Chapter 1. Adding Sugar to Your Life

In This Chapter

• A history of Sugar

• A few basic concepts

• Understanding what Sugar does

• Determining who should be using Sugar

• The different flavors of Sugar

So what is SugarCRM, anyway? I find that one of the hardest thins that I have to do with SugarCRM is to explain exactly what it is. In this chapter, I give you a bit of background into the company and explain some of the terms that you're likely to hear bantered around. I also give you a few ideas on the types of folks who are using Sugar, and give you a few ground rules that I've established over the years after watching new users wrestle with certain aspects of CRM. I even point out the various flavors of Sugar.

The History of Sugar

It's not imperative that you commit the history of SugarCRM to memory, but I do think it can give you a bit more of an understanding as to why the software is so functional — and why it will work so well for your business.

Once upon a time, there were three young men. I could refer to them as the three Musketeers, but actually, they were John, Jacob, and Clint. They had brains. They were tech-savvy. They had a vision. Unfortunately, they didn't have a lot of money.

Our three heroes soon found that their one edition of Microsoft Office (Student Edition) wasn't sufficient to run a business, so they sought out low-cost alternatives. As their coffers were limited — okay, they were empty — they discovered Open Office, a free alternative to the more expensive Microsoft Office ...